The Legend of Croco Hallaway
by Croco
Summary: The chronicles of Skybax rider Croco Hallaway, one of the greatest riders ever.
1. Prologue

The Legend of Croco Hallaway  
Prologue  
  
  
The two kids walked through the streets of Canyon City with relatively little on their minds. Friends since their early years, they both wanted to become Skybax riders for about the same period of time. Stopping briefly, the boy, about thirteen or fourteen years of age, turned to his female companion, who was about the same age.  
  
"Hey Bela," he asked, "do you think either of us will become famous?" Bela paused to think.  
  
"I don't know if that would be possible for you Lesnar," she said while running her hand through her long golden blonde hair. "Besides, all you do is daydream about fighting tyrannosaurs in the Rainy Basin." Lesnar, who was rather tall for his age, knew that Bela would say something like that.  
  
"I do not!" he shouted, "The only reason you want to ride a Skybax is so you can meet Croco Hallaway!" The look on Bela's face was one of anger and she was about a short moment away from turning about and slapping Lesnar. 'Darn!' she thought aloud, 'If only I could reach him, then he wouldn't be talking like that!' But Bela had another way of getting back at her friend.  
  
"Lesnar," she said, "you're right. I do wanna meet Croco, but you don't know more about him than I do! Besides, I..." He took that as an invitation.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me...he's been my hero since I heard about that time he single-handedly took on two tyrannosaurs after he was thrown from his skybax while they were still fifty feet in the air when we were six!" Just then, a man that looked to be in forties approached Bela and Lesnar. He was wearing a Master rider uniform and had short brown hair. His dark green eyes looked over the two youngsters as if he were analyzing them for a possible weakness. Finally, he spoke to them.  
  
"So you think you know everything about Croco Hallaway, eh?" he asked.  
  
"All I know is that he is one of the greatest riders in Dinotopia's history," replied Lesnar. "I heard he was born on the day of the Festival of Air Creatures...maybe that's why he's such a great rider."  
  
"And he's the only known Dolphinback to have come out of the sky when his flying machine fell out of the sky and crashed in the waters near Sauropolis. He's a natural flyer...unlike your theory, mine makes a little more sense." Bela added. The master rider laughed as he pulled them aside. He saw something in them that he liked.  
  
"So you two wanna become skybax riders I hear?" he asked. They nodded. "And where are you from?"  
  
"We're from Cornucopia. Fresh from the Games," Lesnar said, "but I was originally born in Waterfall City and moved there when I was three."  
  
"Ah...it's very beautiful down there. But do you guys wanna know the real story of Croco, cause I've known him ever since he came ashore." Their eyes lit up like stars.  
  
"Yes, we do!" Bela said ecstatically. "We wanna hear it!"  
  
"Well...come with me and I'll tell you." They followed the master rider back to his home up in the cliffs. There the two kids sat down while the Master rider looked for something. He looked around for a few minutes, scattering things about and when he found what he was looking for, he made sure to keep it away from the kids. He finally sat down next to them.  
  
"What are your names?" he asked. Lesnar stood up.  
  
"I'm Lesnar Galinday and my friend's name is Bela Martinos." The master raised his eyes a little bit.  
  
"Bela," he said, "are you related in any way to Trish Martinos?" She nodded.  
  
"She was my aunt and a great skybax rider until she was killed in an accident while preparing for the Festival of Air Creatures a few years ago. I miss her dearly..."  
  
"...and so do I. But you still wanna hear the story?" They both nodded. "All right then. I'm gonna tell you the story of Croco and his early years on Dinotopia...right up until the time of the Tyrannosaur Crisis." Bela and Lesnar listened intently as the old master began to tell them the legend of Croco Hallaway... 


	2. Chapter 1 The Crash

Chapter 1  
  
  
"All systems are running fine!" the young man announced to his passengers as their small jet soared through the clouds. They were on their way to visit a relative from Australia and were in high spirits as they cruised high above the Indian Ocean. "Hey Johnny," one of the men said, "do you think you'd wanna live down there when you retire from racing?" Johnny looked at him with an odd look.  
  
"That's ridiculous David!" he said. "I was gonna run the race team and maybe do a little side project. Besides, I heard that there are a lot of crocodiles down there." David approached the cockpit.  
  
"Speaking of crocodiles..." he said slyly as he opened the door to the cockpit, "Hey Croco! You have any idea when we'll be to Brisbane?" Croco turned to him.  
  
"No, I do not. Sorry Dave." Johnny then entered the cockpit.  
  
"C'mon Joey," he said, "you gotta have some kind of an estimate. So whaddya think, little bro?" He thought about it.  
  
"Um...I'd say about another few hours at least." David and Johnny groaned. Croco laughed sarcastically as his companions stepped back into the cabin. They continued to cruise over the clouds as the three men continued to joke and clown around. As they approached another cloud formation, the plane suddenly dropped. Croco began to fight the plane to keep it straight.  
  
"Dammit...we've got turbulence!" Croco announced. "Get into a seatbelt now!" The plane continued to lose altitude as Johnny and David scrambled to find their seatbelts. The plane was lost in the clouds as so was its pilot, as Croco had no idea where he was going. When he was able to finally regain control and they exited the clouds, they were pelted by rain and the wind tossed them around like a rag doll.  
  
"Whoa...we're in the middle of a killer storm!" David said. "What the hell did you do Croco?!?"  
  
"I don't know...I was helpless!" Croco shouted. "I was trying to fight the damn plane through all this turbulence and lost track of where I was going!" Suddenly as they escaped the storm, there was a beeping noise and Croco checked to see what was wrong.  
  
"Oh my God!" he said, "I've lost most of the auxiliary electrical systems...but the main one's still working fine." He saw what appeared to be an island in the distance. But he couldn't accurately make it out as it was shrouded by a thick blanket of mist. Still, he made up his mind to try and land on the island.  
  
"I'm gonna try and land on that island down there," he announced to his passengers, "maybe somebody down there can help us." Johnny wasn't too thrilled at the idea.  
  
"Joey, are you nuts?!?" he hollered, "That only works in the movies...and besides, if we were lucky enough to survive..." David stepped in.  
  
"Shut up Johnny and let him try and land the plane! He can radio for help when we get on the ground!" Croco overheard the conversation.  
  
"Bad news Dave," he said, "I've lost the radio, so we're pretty much on our own here." David lost it. Just then, the plane lurched to the side, tossing him and Johnny. Croco fought the plane even harder than before to get it right-side up.  
  
"Oh great...I think I may have lost the rudder!" he said. "We're gonna have to crash this thing in the water!"  
  
"Son of a bitch!" Johnny hissed, knowing that he couldn't swim and his life depended on him staying above the water. The skies had calmed down, they had passed the fury of the storm, but they weren't out of danger yet. Croco continued to struggle with the controls while David and Johnny hoped for the best. As they were approaching the island, there was a loud noise and he lost control.  
  
"Aw nuts! I've lost stick response!" he shouted, "But we're about a thousand feet off the ground. It's survivable.....brace for impact!" The plane hit the sea and skipped like a rock towards the island. The men, thinking they were out of harm's way, undid their seat belts. The plane hit the water again, this time the wing hit first and the men were thrown about the plane. Croco flew through the windshield and hit the water hard, and the other two men hit the inside of the plane, killing them instantly. The wing sheared off and the fuselage tumbled through the air before finally splashing down and sinking to the bottom. When he finally came to, Croco was face down in the sea and still groggy, looked for something to hang on to. An excellent swimmer, he paddled his way toward what was left of his aircraft. He found a wing and grabbed a hold of it, and then he blacked out for good this time.  
  
This time when he awoke, the wing was nowhere in sight and Croco could feel himself moving through the water. He looked around to see two dolphins dragging him towards the mist-covered island. One of the dolphins had him by his left arm while the other propped him on his back. He realized that they were taking him ashore.  
  
"Nice dolphins," he said, but other than the fact that he knew that they were taking him to the island, he was rather confused.  
  
"I'm Joey...but all my friends call me Croco. What are your names?" he asked the dolphins. They just continued to drag him towards the beach, which was still about a couple miles away. As his only companions in his state of confusion, Croco continued to talk to his new aquatic friends as if they were human. When they were about fifty yards from the beach, they gave him one last push and left to go play in the warm seas they called home. He finally washed onto the shore after about a minute of being pushed by the waves. He had enough sense to crawl a few feet inland, then he slumped over and fell asleep.  
  
A child, about eight or nine, was roaming the beach looking out at the sea, occasionally picking up a rock and throwing it out into the foamy wash. Suddenly, she saw something suspicious and hopped on the back of her companion, a deinonychus she called Riojay or "Rio" for short.  
  
"C'mon Riojay!" she said, encouraging her reptilian partner to go faster. When they got to where Croco was lying, the girl's eyes lit up and a smile came across her face.  
  
"Oh boy!" she shouted as Riojay looked him over, "I've never come across a dolphinback before! I wonder if it's still alive." She kicked Croco in the side, and he let out a loud groan. The girl was even more excited than before as she hopped onto Riojay's back.  
  
"We gotta tell Dad about the dolphinback...he's gonna be surprised to see him still alive! Let's go Rio...as fast as you can!" and with that, the girl and her deinonychus were gone. 


	3. Chapter 2 A New World

Chapter 2  
  
  
When the little girl got back to her home, which was a little more than a mile from the shore in the city of Neopylos, her father was waiting for her. But he didn't look too happy with his daughter.  
  
"Kaala," he said sternly, "how many times have I told you and Riojay not to go down by the water by yourself?"  
  
"But Daddy," she pleaded, "Rio and I found a dolphinback on the beach! And he's still alive!" Kaala's father dropped the cup he had in his hand.  
  
"Really?" he asked. Kaala nodded as she mounted Riojay again. He ran back into the house, where his wife and triceratops were waiting. When they came out, Kaala was ready and couldn't wait to show her parents the young man she had found. Riojay couldn't wait either, as Kaala had to do everything in her power to keep him from taking off towards the sea. She rubbed his neck as her parents brought out the family's trusty triceratops named Nobella, but they called her "Nobby" for short. As soon as Nobby was ready, Kaala led them to the beach.  
  
When they got to where Croco was lying, Nobby looked him over with a curious interest.  
  
"Never seen a dolphinback like this one before," Nobby said, "But then again...I haven't seen one in about sixty years." Kaala's mother, a younger looking woman, also looked him over.  
  
"He's unconscious," she said. Then she turned to her husband. "Brock, how are we going to get him home?"  
  
"I don't know," he said, scratching his head. "Mira, I wish there was an easy way to go about this...I mean, look at him. He's in pretty bad shape, as he looks like he must've been in the water for at least a day or so. And with those deep cuts on him, he's pretty lucky he didn't get picked off by the sharks." Brock and Mira discussed how they were going to transport Croco back to their home. They knew they weren't just going to leave him on the beach while they did something else to take him back, that was already made up. Just then, Riojay nudged Brock's arm but it didn't get his attention. He nudged him again, this time a little harder. Brock turned around to him.  
  
"All right Riojay...what's the big idea?" he asked. Kaala stepped in.  
  
"We should take him home on Nobby's back!" she said.  
  
"That's what we're trying to do." Mira replied as she prepared a special saddle for Croco to ride in.  
  
"We'll nurse him back to health and then when he's ready, we can show him around before taking him to Waterfall City. Besides, I'm sure Nobby wouldn't mind..."  
  
"Of course not," the old triceratops said. Brock and Mira, with a little help from Riojay, lifted Croco onto her back as Kaala jumped on board Riojay. Then they made their way back to their home in Neopylos.  
  
When Croco woke up, he immediately realized that he wasn't on the beach anymore. Trying to figure out where he was, he looked around the room and was amazed at what he saw. The room was rather small, but it had a bookshelf with many books on it. On the other side he saw a picture of what appeared to be a giant reptile, possibly a dinosaur. 'I know what that is,' he thought aloud, 'that is a brachiosaurus.' Underneath the picture was a caption in some kind of a weird language that used footprints as letters. Croco couldn't make it out, but was still curious about what it said. Just then, Brock entered the room.  
  
"I see our friend here is awake," he announced, and Croco jumped back. "You're lucky to be alive, you know that."  
  
"I...I know that," he said. "My two companions are dead and I'd be among them if it weren't for the dolphins and your little girl." As Brock and Croco introduced themselves to each other, Riojay entered the room. Croco shuddered at the very presence of the deinonychus, and was quite frightened.  
  
"What...what is that?!?" he said. He saw the claws. "No...you're not gonna eat...me...NO! Get away!" Brock was surprised by his episode.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked softly, "He's..."  
  
"Get that raptor away from me!" he shouted. Kaala entered the room, shocked to find that the dolphinback was awake, but more so that he was afraid of Riojay.  
  
"It's OK!" she shouted, "Riojay won't eat you." Croco turned to her with eyes as wide as saucers.  
  
"You mean that...that raptor is your pet?!?"  
  
"Riojay's not a velociraptor, if that's what you think he is. He's a deinonychus, and he's my friend. In fact, 'riojay' in the deinonychus language means 'friend.'" Riojay nuzzled her face as they approached Croco. He extended his hand towards Riojay, and he allowed him to stroke his neck and head. Croco was surprised, but his feelings towards the raptor-like Riojay softened as his companion approached him.  
  
"My name's Kaala and I am nine. What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Joey Hallaway, but everybody I know calls me Croco. You're nine, eh? Well that makes you exactly ten years younger than I am." Kaala was confused a little bit.  
  
"Ten summers," Brock said correcting him, "Here we measure age by how many summers one has lived through. When were you born?"  
  
"October 24th, 1978," he told him. Kaala was shocked.  
  
"You were born on the day of the Festival of Air Creatures!" she shouted, "You're gonna be a flyer, I know it!" Meanwhile, Brock was figuring out Croco's age.  
  
"According to my estimate," he told him, "you would be nineteen summers old. Am I correct?" Croco counted it on his fingers, then nodded. Brock turned to his daughter.  
  
"Kaala," he said quietly, "don't give our friend too much right now. He's still a little confused about our way of life and I'm pretty sure he'd like to learn when he's feeling better. Besides, it's not for another nine months." He left the room and Kaala jumped on Croco's lap.  
  
"Croco," she asked sweetly, "what kind of a name is that?" He went on to tell the story about his grandfather's adventures in World War II, and when he was finished, Brock, who had left the room to help Mira fix supper, entered to check on Kaala and Croco. Kaala, with her long, flowing brown hair, ran and jumped into her father's arms when she saw him.  
  
"Daddy!" She was like a schoolgirl who couldn't wait for her turn in show-and-tell. "Croco told me about how his grandfather helped beat the Germans in World War II and that he was flying a mechanical bird when it crashed and the dolphins..." Croco looked around...and he knew he was in a place that he never knew about. He figured that explained how Riojay got there too. He followed Brock out of the room and into the kitchen.  
  
"Brock, can I ask you something real quick?" He nodded. "Just...where exactly are we?"  
  
"We're in the town of Neopylos." Croco shook his head.  
  
"No, no...I meant this island. What island is this? I don't remember there ever being an island with...dinosaurs on it." Mira turned around and saw Croco. She smiled as she was cutting up carrots for the meal.  
  
"You're on Dinotopia, dear," she said, "and I am Mira, Brock's husband." This left Croco speechless. He didn't know what to think...what to say. Just the very name "Dinotopia" conjured up many images of tyrannosaurs and herds of triceratops in his head. As Croco stood there, he caught a glimpse of Nobby in front of the doorway.  
  
"Is that...what I think it is?" he said, awe stricken by the presence of the horned beast. Brock opened his mouth to say something, but Nobby cut him off.  
  
"My name is Nobella and I am a triceratops. The family here calls me Nobby." When Croco heard that, he fainted from the shock. Nobby started to shake her head at the exact moment Croco hit the floor.  
  
"Dolphinbacks," she said sadly, "they're all the same...no matter where they come from. Help me carry him into the living room." Brock and Nobby helped get Croco off the kitchen floor and into the next room.  
  
"Well hopefully he'll wake up soon...dinner will be done shortly," Brock told his reptilian companion and like that, they went back into the kitchen. 


	4. Chapter 3 The First Night

Chapter 3  
  
  
Croco woke up this time to the scent of exotic herbs and vegetables and poked his head curiously into the kitchen. Mira was expecting this and guided him to the dining area where the rest of the family was waiting. He sat down next to Kaala and Riojay as Mira brought out a strange looking vegetable dish and some salad...lots of it for Nobby. Her bowl was about the size of a bathtub and it didn't take long for her to start happily munching away. Riojay had several medium-sized fish as being a carnivore he couldn't eat what everyone else was, although occasionally he did steal a bite or two off of someone's plate when they weren't looking. Croco took a bite of Mira's creation and at first, he made a face. But he smiled as he swallowed it.  
  
"This sure is...different," he said, "I could get used to it." he said.  
  
"Yeah...and if you eat stuff like that every day, you can live to be two hundred summers old," Kaala added. Croco was stunned that people could live that long. But Mira was delighted that their guest had enjoyed her cooking. They continued to eat in peace as Brock told Croco about Dinotopia.  
  
"Croco," he said, "you're gonna enjoy it here. There's so much you can do...so much to see that an outsider like you wouldn't know what he wanted." But Croco had only one thing on his mind.  
  
"Brock, it's so nice of you to welcome me here with wide open arms," he told him, "but there's only one thing I want to do...and that is to fly again." Brock chuckled at his statement.  
  
"Well, well...aren't we the eager one? You can do that too." Croco's eyes lit up when he said that. "There are flying reptiles on this island that people can ride. Do you know what a skybax is?" Croco shook his head, not knowing at first. "Well...a skybax is a pterosaur that has huge wings and..." Croco knew what Brock was talking about now and couldn't help but to let out his excitement.  
  
"You mean Quetzalcoatlus?!? You're kidding...they have the largest wingspan of any flying creature, living or extinct!" he exclaimed, "Those things must be forty feet tip-to-tip!" Brock was shocked to find out how much Croco knew.  
  
"How did you know about that?!?" he gasped. "Most dolphinbacks are shocked to hear about something like that."  
  
"My brother's wife...one of her brothers is a paleontologist and he took me on one of his expeditions, and they found a fossilized quetzalcoatlus skeleton. It was something...the wingspan must've been about thirty-five feet. But they're actually alive on this island?" Brock nodded and told him about a friend of his that was a skybax rider. He explained how they deliver things to the people on all sides of the island. Croco was anxious to explore his new home, but Brock knew it wasn't an easy task.  
  
"First off," he said, "we're gonna start for Waterfall City in the morning. That's where you will learn our language and our way of life. There, they will give you a saurian partner who will help you adjust to life in Dinotopia. After about two or three years there, you will go to the northern city of Treetown where you will learn to get along with other people and saurs. It's kinda like what you would call a summer camp...I heard a dolphinback mention that once while I was up there. Only then will you be worthy of Skybax training." Croco was listening the whole time, and was not too thrilled.  
  
"You mean I'll have to wait another four years until I can even get the chance to fly again?" he said sharply. Brock understood his dismay as he nodded his head.  
  
"Unfortunately yes," he said sadly. Then he looked out at the setting sun. "Oh bother, look at the sky. It's getting kind of late...we've got a long journey ahead of us, young man." The two men went back into the house while still chatting about the future that was staring at Croco. He was even more anxious to get airborne again, and Brock had to remind him of what it would take. But just then, Nobby stuck a horn between the two.  
  
"Brock!" she said, "Croco's in no condition to travel...he was floating at sea for at least a full day and this is the first time he's been up in a week! We need to keep him here so he can recover and besides, he hasn't a clue about the Dinotopian culture. Give him some time to at least copy some of our way of life." He took Nobby's words into consideration, then changed his mind.  
  
"Nobby, I know you're not going to last much longer so we'll stay." he told her. Nobby was ecstatic, rising onto her back feet and stomping the ground. It scared Croco half to death, but she explained how happy she was that he would be staying with them. The three went into the house, chatting and telling stories as they prepared the guest bedroom for Croco.  
  
At first glance, Croco thought the small room was rather odd...it didn't have any pictures on the wall or vases anywhere. It was somewhat plain, but what caught Croco's attention was a circular table-like object sitting square in the middle of the room. It was the first thing that jumped out at him.  
  
"And what exactly is that?" he asked curiously. Brock started to say something but couldn't get it out.  
  
"That would be your bed, son," Mira said as she entered the room. "We got it as a gift from one of our friends who works at the hatchery near Chandara." Croco looked at it intently. 'How could this...thing...pass for a bed?' he said to himself. But he didn't complain as he climbed into it, and Mira was able to tell by the look on Croco's face that he liked it. They left him alone as he prepared to retire for the first night on the new island. All the sights...all the sounds started to sink in as Croco slowly drifted off to sleep.  
  
But something kept bothering him during the night...he kept hearing strange noises. It got to the point where he couldn't take it and Croco got up and looked around. He peeked in the first room to his right. There, Kaala and Riojay were fast asleep, with the tail of the deinonychus draped over the little girl's neck. 'Not from there,' he thought as he looked into the next room, where Mira was. She too was asleep. Croco heard the noise again, this time coming from the kitchen. He stealthily tiptoed towards the kitchen, trying not to awaken anyone. When he got there, it didn't take long before he bumped into something. Being unable to see well in the dark, he started feeling around the object when suddenly it lurched back. Croco retreated quickly, tripping over his own feet and falling to the floor.  
  
"Nobby!!!" he yelped, knowing who the culprit was, "What the hell are you doing?!?" The triceratops grumbled as she turned to face the young man. Then she gave him a cross look.  
  
"First thing's first," Nobby said sternly, "on Dinotopia, we do not curse like that. Understood?"  
  
"I'm sorry," he said in embarrassment, "I didn't know and you surprised me so I couldn't help it." She went over to where Croco was lying and lowered her head, wanting to help him up. He grabbed one of her massive horns and Nobby threw her head back. Once back on his feet, Croco asked her what she was doing in the house.  
  
"Oh...just grabbing a little snack," she said with a grin, "I get up at about this time every night and grab a bite. Mira leaves me some greens I like cause at my old age, you need all the nutrition you can get." That sparked Croco's curiosity.  
  
"Just how old are you...if you mind me asking?" he asked.  
  
"I am 218 summers old...older than most in my species." Nobby went on to explain to Croco how she ran in Mira's family and how she took a liking to Mira during her childhood. When Nobby was done with the story, she looked down to find Croco fast asleep. She nudged him quite hard, jarring him awake.  
  
"I don't think it would be a good idea to sleep here in the kitchen," she told him. Croco looked up at her with a scared look in his eyes.  
  
"I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life," he said, "I keep hearing strange noises and stuff and it's really bothering me. I can't sleep...I'm scared...and..."  
  
"But Mira fixed up the guest room just for you!"  
  
"I'm not feeling too comfortable right now, so I'd rather have someone to sleep with. I need the company." Nobby understood how Croco felt and bobbed her head as she headed towards the door.  
  
"Come with me," Nobby said, "you can sleep with me outside."  
  
"Outside?" She nodded and Croco followed her out to a large shed with an inscription over the door in the same footprint alphabet that was on the picture in Mira's room. Nobby led him inside, and she noticed that Croco was forgetting something.  
  
"That blanket!" she bellowed, "Brock gave you a blanket...it's still in your room. Do you want it?" Croco shook his head as Nobby positioned herself on what Croco perceived to be a bed for dinosaurs. Still munching on her leaves, Nobby looked over her companion and closed her eyes. Croco followed suit, using one of the supports of Nobby's bed as a headrest. Still, the crash lingered in his mind like a dense fog...the thought of his brother no longer being here...the fact that he was on an island with dinosaurs, the very creatures he worshiped as a boy...and he was sleeping with the one he loved the most. But all those thoughts faded as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, knowing that he would start a new life in the morning. 


	5. Chapter 4 Preparing for the Journey

Chapter 4  
  
  
The sun rose to begin another day on the island of Dinotopia and Brock was the first one up. He proceeded to awake his family and was preparing a vegetable stew for breakfast. Mira helped him out by juicing mangos and some sort of citrus fruit while at the same time baking the bread, while Kaala raced to the shed to wake up Nobby. When she opened the door, she was amazed to see Croco sleeping with her too.  
  
"Croco!" she said, surprised, "What are you doing in here with Nobby?" Croco rolled off the leg he was sleeping on and rubbed his eyes, obviously still tired.  
  
"I couldn't sleep last night," he told her, "I kept hearing strange noises in the middle of the night and Nobby just happened to be in the house when I woke up." Kaala understood, as she too woke up sometimes. 'At least she has Riojay for company,' he thought. Then she led Croco into the house where Mira, and also their breakfast, was waiting for them. She offered him some fruit as he took a piece of the bread while Kaala scooped some of the soup out of the pot into a bowl and gave it to Croco. He was more than happy to eat it, smiling and chatting away with Mira and Kaala. But he was still getting used to the Dinotopian cuisine, so he made an occasional face.  
  
"What you people eat is kinda weird to me," Croco said. Then he realized that there were others in the room. "But then again...you'd think the food I ate in the outside world would be weird." Kaala looked up briefly, then continued eating while Mira made a motion for a cup to the left side of Croco's plate.  
  
"Try the tea...it's absolutely delightful," she told him. Croco took a sip and nodded his head, signaling that he liked it.  
  
"This tea is delicious!" he said, smiling and still slightly nodding, "I could drink this for the rest of my life!" Mira smiled.  
  
"Really?" she said, somewhat shocked. "Most dolphinbacks complain that it's real bitter, but knowing that I added a touch of honey...it's my secret recipe." Croco continued to sip away as they were joined by Brock. He had a concerned look on his face.  
  
"Croco's only 19 summers old," he told her, "One can't drink that until they've reached the age of 24." Mira turned red with embarrassment but Brock let Croco finish the tea. He wondered aloud what the problem was with him drinking it was. Brock told him about an herb that was found only on Dinotopia...he didn't mention the name of it but told him how it prolongs life in humans. The four of them continued eating merrily while Nobby grazed in a pasture near the house. When Croco had his fill and stood up, he got shoved to the floor. He looked up to see Riojay standing over him like a lion guarding its kill.  
  
"Oh, hey Riojay," Croco said. He playfully stuck his snout into Croco's chest. Croco responded by swatting at it and he hopped off of him and bounded out towards the shed. This routine continued on for a few weeks, as Croco was adjusting to life without the modern conveniences he took for granted. But one day after breakfast, there was a knock on the door and Brock went to answer it. When he opened it, a man dressed in a red uniform was standing there. He smiled knowing that it was his friend Sulley Samson, the skybax rider.  
  
"Hey there Sulley!" he said to him. Then he turned his head, looking for Croco. He saw him and yelled for him to come to the door and Croco raced to Brock's side. There, he was ready to show him.  
  
"And who's this young man you've got here?" Sulley asked him with a slight Irish accent, "Never seen him before."  
  
"That's cause Kaala found him washed up on the beach only a few weeks ago." Brock put a hand on Croco's shoulder. "This is Joey Hallaway, better known as Croco...Croco, this is my friend Sulley. He's a skybax rider." Sulley led him out to meet his skybax Dragonheart. When he first caught a glimpse of the great winged reptile, Croco was in a state of awe, as words alone couldn't describe the feeling he had being in the presence of a skybax. Watching Dragonheart preen and look about at him, Croco tried to approach him when he started screeching and fluttering his wings. Sulley told him that only person that can approach a skybax is its rider and he quickly retreated. He also told him that he was "five mothers Irish," a term that Croco was confused about at first, but quickly figured out that he meant that five generations have been on the island and that his ancestors came from Ireland...much like how his grandfather came to America.  
  
Sulley had something for Brock, which turned out to be a letter from someone in the capital city of Sauropolis. He didn't say who it was from or what it was about, but the way he read it looked like it was of importance. After reading it, he tucked it away in his pocket and had a few more words with Sulley, they parted ways and Croco was still standing there when Sulley came to him.  
  
"After you've completed your studies and training, would you like to be a rider like me?" he asked him. The response from Croco was an emphatic "yes." Sulley laughed and told him a little about Canyon City, where the Skybax training facility was located. But before Croco could ask him more about Canyon City, Sulley was already aboard Dragonheart and was airborne.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace Croco!" he shouted as he took off. Croco was confused about what that meant. Fortunately Mira came out and explained to him that it was the main greeting of Dinotopia and its origins from the dolphins that patrol the waters that surround the island. They went back into the house where Brock had an announcement to make.  
  
"We are going to start towards Sauropolis tomorrow. The Senate wants to hear about how the waters surrounding Dinotopia are doing. Then after that, we're going to take Croco to Waterfall City so he can become a citizen of this great land. We'd better begin making our preparations now!" With that, everyone including Croco scrambled to get the wagon ready for Nobby to pull and take along their clothes and other things that they needed. After two days of nonstop preparations, they were ready to begin their journey to the Dinotopian capital. But for Croco, the journey would last much longer than the several weeks it was going to take Brock, Mira and Kaala. He smiled as he went to bed out in the shed like he did every night before, which he called "Nobby's house" for the final time. 


	6. Chapter 5 Journey to Sauropolis

Chapter 5  
  
  
When the sun arose, Croco and Nobby were the first ones awake. They went into the house and started waking everybody up, starting with Kaala and Riojay. It didn't take long before everybody was scrambling...Croco and Brock loading the wagon and preparing Nobby, Kaala and Mira gathering fruit, nuts and bread for a quick breakfast they could take with them on their journey. When they were finished and ready to go, it was already midday and it was unusually hot that day. But being on the ocean was advantageous as it was a few degrees cooler than it was further inland.  
  
When they reached the coastal town of Paleopolis, they stopped and rested for a couple hours while having dinner with a friend of Mira's who went by the name of Storm Barros. She was a little bit older than Mira, but at 68 summers, she looked pretty young as Croco guessed that she was in her thirties. After they had their fill, Storm led them to a dock where a grizzled old man was waiting in a boat. He told him that he would take them across the delta of the Polongo River, as Sauropolis was directly on the other side.  
  
"Saves at least a week...if you're lucky enough to get through to Waterfall City," he said with a chuckle. But it came at a heavy price, as Croco had to give him a die-cast of Johnny Hallaway's race car he was going to compete with during the following racing season which came in the bag that washed up, obviously belonging to him. He also gave him some other things, including food, paper, scrolls, and a medallion that Kaala found on a trip along the western coast several months back. This was the first that Croco heard of Waterfall City and he asked the man about it.  
  
"The city is built from the rocks and is surrounded by great waterfalls further up the Polongo," he told him. "It's where the major intellectual facilities are, so it's the cultural center of Dinotopia. But you can only get there either by gliders that look like a Skybax, or the bridge in the north, but that takes you partway into the Rainy Basin and that's a scary place." Croco was rather unamused by this warning.  
  
"The Rainy Basin...what's so bad about that?" he asked.  
  
"Utahraptor. Deinonychus. Velociraptor. Tyrannosaurus rex. Get the picture, kid?" Croco gasped at the very thought that there were LIVE tyrannosaurs in the Rainy Basin, so he kept quiet for a long period of time while he prepared the boat for the river crossing. Fortunately they were in a calm spot in the delta so they wouldn't have to fight the current. The old man, named Thaddeus, instructed Brock and Croco to grab oars and start rowing while at the same time lowering ropes with loops at the ends into the water in case a dolphin decided to tow them.  
  
After about a half hour of continuous rowing they finally made it to the other side, with Sauropolis looming in the not too great distance. They thanked Thetas for giving them the ferry ride across and while Brock continued to walk beside the wagon before climbing into it with everyone else, Croco was lying on his back, panting and obviously exhausted. Brock put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I guess I'm the one who's in better shape," he said, "and I'm a good fifty years older than you!" All Croco did was turn his head and rested it against the front of the wagon as they headed northward. Never before in his life had he seen anything like the rolling grasslands they were in and he kept asking questions about the land. Brock and Kaala were glad to answer and even Nobby added some of her wisdom to their answers. Then Croco asked a kind of personal question.  
  
"Nobby...how did you get your name?" he asked the triceratops. She grunted as she tried to think of what to tell the inquisitive young man.  
  
"Well Croco," she said while continuing on the path, "when Mira's grandmother...who I believe was only seven summers old at the time, she wanted her own saurian companion. She wanted someone who could go places with but was intelligent at the same time. They found me somewhere in the swamps near Bonabba and I was injured at the time, so with the help of her mother she nursed me back to help. If I recall, when they found me, I had broken off the tip of my front horn. She called it a "knob," as her mother was a dolphinback and thought it was like a miniature door knob...and when they found out I was a female, that's where they came up with Nobella. If I recall, she found the tip of my horn and made it into a necklace, which Mira still has today." Croco took some time to let the story sink in as they finally entered the gate to the great capital city of Sauropolis. It was getting dark, so Brock asked around for the nearest inn that catered to larger saurians. A man, who was in his eighties, directed them to one near the main government building. As he left, he turned to Croco and extended his hand to him.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace Croco Hallaway," he said to him as they shook hands, "and welcome to Sauropolis, capital of Dinotopia. Next stop is Waterfall City, I assume?" This left Croco in shock.  
  
"People...know...who I am here?!?" he said aloud, "But I haven't been out of Neopylos since the crash, which was about six weeks ago!" Mira took him aside.  
  
"You're a new dolphinback, and they are very rare...the last one I know of came sometime during the Great War in the outside world...I think he was in a craft similar to yours, but it had room for only the operator. Does the name Bernard Edwards ring a bell?" Croco shook his head as Brock told him that he too was a Skybax rider and had a background similar to his very own. They found a place to park the wagon as they undid Nobby and approached the desk to the inn, which was manned by a struthiomimus named Flip and his human counterpart Tyrus Farwell.  
  
Flip led them to their rooms, as Mira, Kaala and Riojay were in a separate room from Brock, Croco and Nobby. Croco thanked him and before Brock and Nobby were finished unloading, he was fast asleep...and in a bed for the first time on Dinotopia, as he slept by Nobby's dinosaur bed for the previous weeks. It felt good to him, but he was used to sleeping on the ground now. Add the fact that he was still tired from the rowing and Croco could've laid his head anywhere and be asleep instantly...even if it was in the Rainy Basin with a family of the tyrannosaurs that Thaddeus mentioned. Now that he knew that he was known elsewhere in Dinotopia, Croco was even more anxious to get to Waterfall City and more importantly, take one step closer to becoming a Skybax rider and being able to fly again. 


	7. Chapter 6 The Hearing

Chapter 6  
  
  
At sunrise, everyone was up and preparing to meet with the Senate concerning the waters off the southwest coast of the island as Brock and Mira were the heads of the committee overlooking that particular sector. At first, Mira was going to leave Kaala and Croco to go through the city, but thought against it as she thought it was important for the dolphinback to learn about the Dinotopian government. They made their way to the Senate chamber, but first they had a free breakfast courtesy of the innkeepers as they knew of their arrival ahead of time. When everyone was ready, they made their way to the chamber as Brock explained to Croco how they govern the island among both humans and saurians.  
  
They entered the building and greetings were exchanged, but the senators had a curious eye on Croco. Many of them had never met a dolphinback fresh from the sea before and they wanted to know about what was going on in the outside world. Croco told them the best he could from about the mid-60's to present days and they were in shock at all the war and violence in his revelation. But with all greetings aside, they proceeded into the main hall and were seated. There was a typical clamor before the session started, but that was put to an end by and old, bald man who stepped up to what looked like a platform with a machine in it for turning scrolls. The chamber fell silent as he addressed Brock.  
  
"Chairman Hornaday," he said in a loud, booming voice, "do you have your reports with you?" Brock reached into a small sack and pulled out a scroll for the man to look at.  
  
"Yes I do Senator Rebrackar," Brock answered, and he gave the scroll to the senator. "You will find that the delta of the Polongo has become more laden with silt and that is affecting the fish population around the surrounding estuaries. This in turn has affected the local crocodilians as well." Rebrackar looked over the scroll with an intense glare. Then he looked down on Brock.  
  
"And what's this about the mass dolphin beaching near Burbleville around the summer solstice last year?" he demanded. Brock didn't know what to say but Mira picked him up.  
  
"Well it's real simple," she stated, "dolphins are very social creatures. In every pod, there is a lead animal like in wild raptor clans in the Basin. And the other members of the pod follow this animal to hunting grounds, breeding grounds and so on. Well with this pod, the leader must've been sick or something and beached himself and the others followed suit. From what I heard, there was about 15 animals that ran aground and died...a truly tragic event." The other members of the Senate looked on with some amount of shock and concern, but Rebrackar still maintained a fiery look in his eye as he continued to look over the report. Then he rolled it back up and eyed Brock.  
  
"Well, it looks like everything's going along just fine," he said. "Except for the silt lining the delta of the Polongo, the health of the waters in your sector is perfect. Likewise for the wildlife in the waters of your sector...everything's moving along like the migrating herds of apatosaurs on the northern plains." Then he caught a glimpse of Croco.  
  
"Might I ask who that is with you?" he asked, "A new dolphinback, I presume?"  
  
"Yes," Mira replied, "This is Croco Hallaway. He is American and came ashore after his flying machine crashed into the sea. He was the only survivor among the three on board." Rebrackar perked up when she mentioned that Croco was an American.  
  
"American, I see. Well the last time an American came ashore during my term was when the Great War was going on between them and the Japanese. Might I ask what has happened from then to now?" Croco stepped up to the podium that he spoke from.  
  
"It's over, and we won," he told him. "In fact, America and Japan are close allies and trading partners...it's also the same with Germany. But our relationship with Russia wasn't that good." He went on to tell the Senate about the Cold War and the rise and fall of communism, answering questions along the way. When he was finished his report, he lightly nudged Brock in the shoulder.  
  
"History was always one of my favorite subjects," he whispered. Then Rebrackar silenced the room, where senators broke out in random chatter about Croco's revelation, then addressed the young man.  
  
"Croco...your knowledge of the past will help you immensely in your future. Therefore I shall see that the Hornadays will take you to Waterfall City. There, you will learn how to be Dinotopian...you will learn to read and write as a Dinotopian and you will learn the ways of our great island. After you've finished and proven yourself, you will then proceed to Treetown, which is a camp for young men and women like yourself. Once in Treetown, you will learn to live in harmony with the dinosaurs and prove yourself in the Dinosaur Olympics. After that...your fate lies in your hands." Croco approached to shake the senator's hand.  
  
"Thank you Senator," he said, "I shall continue on my journey with pride."  
  
"Very well then. I shall call for a short recess while Brock, Mira and Croco are dismissed. Breathe deep, seek peace." They all said goodbye to the senators and left the building. After talking to a few more people, they were in the wagon and heading northward. It would take them three full days to reach Waterfall City, but it was something that had to be done. They stocked up on food and other necessities before leaving the civilized world of Sauropolis behind to make the trip to the great Waterfall City. 


	8. Chapter 7 The Rainy Basin

Chapter 7  
  
  
(-I am a Tricertops-)  
(^I am a Deinonychus^)  
  
  
Nobby led the troupe out of the city and into the rolling grasslands just outside of Sauropolis, occasionally stopping to munch on some grass. They would follow the trail along the eastern bank of the Polongo until they got to a large bridge which could support the weight of Nobby and the cargo she was carrying. Croco noticed how she never looked down at the ground while she towed the wagon, and Mira explained to him how the dinosaurs took great pride in their strength.  
  
"It would be considered an insult if a saurian looked down at the ground while doing heavy work," she told him. "And Nobby is one of the proudest saurians I've ever come across in my life." They continued on, telling stories and jokes until sundown, when they decided to set up camp. They found a nearby pond to gather water from, and Nobby was all too happy to lower her head and start drinking away. Mira and Kaala started hunting for wild herbs and spices while Brock lowered a line into the pond in the hope of catching a few fish. Croco and Riojay were laying in the grass looking up at the stars.  
  
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" he said to himself.  
  
"Sure is," Riojay said in broken English. Croco sat up in total disbelief and amazement while Riojay scratched his neck with the claws on his short arms.  
  
"You...speak English...Riojay?!?" he gasped.  
  
"Only what Kaala teach me," was the answer he got. Croco wondered why he never spoke before and Riojay told him that he didn't want to startle him by speaking in human as he called it. The curious Croco wanted to know more.  
  
"Where did you originally come from?" he asked Riojay.  
  
"Rainy Basin," he told him. "Was little when Kaala find me. I was lost and she take me back to her den." Thaddeus had warned Croco about the wild deinonychus packs in the Basin, but if what Riojay said was true, then he was just stereotyping them as merciless monsters he thought. And in Croco's mind, that just wasn't right. He walked over to where Brock was, and he had caught a few good-sized fish. He sat down while Riojay laid down beside them.  
  
"Did you guys really find Riojay in the Rainy Basin?" he asked him. Brock told him about how Kaala found him there when she was only six and how they became inseparable friends from that point on. Croco took some time to let the story sink in, then got up and walked back over to the campsite, where he laid his head down and went to sleep.  
  
The next morning, everyone was up before the sun rose and were back on the trail to Waterfall City. The Rainy Basin was within a couple more hours of traveling when a wild triceratops herd approached them. Croco tensed up, thinking that they were going to attack, but Nobby reassured him that they were friendly and engaged the leader in a conversation.  
  
-Going through the Basin?- the leader asked.  
  
-Yes we are. By the way, I am Nobella,- Nobby responded.  
  
-An honor to meet you. My name is Delinkops, but you can call me Link...everyone does. Anyway, you and your human companions are going to need an escort. Word is that a chasmosaur was attacked by a group of deinonychs the other day.-  
  
-We have a deiny with us so if they do approach, he can talk to them and either ward them off or get them to help us. Thank you for your assistance anyway Link.-  
  
-Very well. Breathe deep, seek peace Nobella.- The triceratops lumbered on and Nobby continued along the trail and into the jungle. They didn't get too far when the deinonychus pack Delinkops had warned them about circled the wagon, sending Nobby circling and the humans into a panicked frenzy. Riojay jumped from the wagon to address them.  
  
^Who are you and what is your business?^ he demanded. The leader, a female, stopped to sniff him over. Then she called her packmates back from the wagon.  
  
^I know you...you're from the R'sala clan,^ she said, ^You must've been the chick that disappeared and never returned.^  
  
^You know?^  
  
^Of course we do.^ she told him. ^We're from the Shaburae clan, a long time ally to your clan. And I am Na'leea, the Alpha female. So what do you want?^ Riojay thought about it, then addressed her.  
  
^We want protection through the Basin. We're on our way to Waterfall City with a human that came from the sea and I'm seeing to that he doesn't get hurt. So what do you say Na'leea?" The wild deinonychus chirped and screeched at her pack, and they soon came to attention around Na'leea and Riojay.  
  
^Hey, anything for a member of the R'sala,^ she said. Then Na'leea ordered the pack to take up positions around the wagon while Riojay had Nobby continue on. They continued along the Polongo with Na'leea and her pack as escorts until they got to a point where the trail split off. Brock pointed out to Croco that it was the path to Treetown where he would continue his training after his time in Waterfall City. It was getting dark so Riojay hopped out to ask Na'leea where they could rest. She led them on the road to Treetown about a half mile to a large, abandoned den site where a spinosaurus family once stayed. There, Brock and Croco set up the campsite in the den while Na'leea's packmates set themselves up around Nobby like a shield. Everyone except Nobby's guards fell asleep right away, but eventually they too drifted off to sleep. 


	9. Chapter 8 Sunrise Ambush

Chapter 8  
  
  
(^I am a Deinonychus^)  
(+I am a Velociraptor+)  
(*I am a Utahraptor*)  
  
  
Sometime just before sunrise, the group was awakened by the rustling of leaves and bushes. Na'leea was the first to notice and alerted her pack. They quickly sprung to life to cover Nobby as she went out to investigate. No sooner did Na'leea poke her head into the foliage did it come back out with a claw mark. She let out a yelp of pain and reeled back as three velociraptors came out after her. Hearing this, Riojay bolted out of the den and was at her side, hissing at the raptors who attacked her.  
  
^Foolish velociraptors,^ he growled, ^Attacking a deinonych with her pack nearby...don't you have anything to say?^ One of the velociraptors stepped up.  
  
+Well well, if it isn't the missing chick of the R'sala,+ he said in their tongue, ^Thought I smelled humans nearby, so you'd better go back to them if you knew what was best for you...pet.^ The smaller raptors laughed, even though he said that in deinonychus, and snickered in their own language. Greatly insulted by this, Riojay lashed out at the cocky raptor, sinking his toe-claws into the side of him, slashing him apart. Death came quickly and the other two raptors came after Na'leea and Riojay, mouths agape and claws bared. They didn't know that eight more raptors were waiting for them and they attacked. The Shaburae that were with Na'leea left Nobby to aid their comrades. After hearing the shrieking and growling, Brock, Croco and Kaala busted out of the den.  
  
"What's happening?!?" Croco asked, confused.  
  
"Keep Kaala back...there's a fight going on!" Brock told him. Croco did as told and led a reluctant Kaala back to the den. She resisted to the point where Croco had to pick her up, but he understood her concern for Riojay and told her that Brock was taking care of the situation. Pretty soon, he came back to the den with an update.  
  
"A group of velociraptors attacked our deinonychs...including Riojay," he told everyone. Kaala tried to rush out of the den, but Mira and Croco grabbed her, telling her that he was all right. Pretty soon, the fight was over and Riojay limped slowly back to the den with Na'leea and a much larger utahraptor. Croco looked up in awe at the large, reddish-colored raptor. It had a bluish-green feather crest going from its head all the way down its neck and the tip of its tail was missing, possibly from a fight. Na'leea introduced her to Riojay, as she helped run off the velociraptor pack. Then he introduced her to the family.  
  
"This Minstelae," Riojay said as he looked at them. "Friendly Basin utahraptor. Over here is Brock, Mira, Kaala and Croco, who is human who came from sea." Kaala looked up in astonishment, as it was the first time she heard him say "Croco." But he still referred to him as the human who came from the sea.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace Minstelae," they all said together.  
  
"And hello to you too," she replied in human. "I'll be leading you to Waterfall City from this point on." Minstelae turned back to Na'leea.  
  
*I'll be taking them from here,* she said.  
  
*No problem,* Na'leea replied. Both were fluent in many of the languages spoken in the Basin, including tyrannosaur. *It feels good to know that there are utahs out there that will help deinonychs in trouble.*  
  
*I heard the screaming and smelled velocis, and you know how much I dislike them. Except for Azonthus, of course.* They both laughed as Riojay approached Na'leea.  
  
^We must be off now Na'leea,^ he told her. ^Thank you for your help. I don't think I could've taken on those velociraptors myself.^ They nuzzled each other and parted ways.  
  
^Breathe deep, seek peace Riojay, child of the R'sala,^ she said and led her pack back to their home territory while everyone boarded the wagon, including Riojay, who walked beside them for most of the journey. Kaala noticed a lot of blood and a couple claw marks on her friend.  
  
"What happened?!?" she asked, panicked. "Are you hurt bad Riojay?" Riojay nuzzled the little girl.  
  
"Just a little, but most blood from enemy velociraptors. Got two of them myself," he said proudly. Kaala's eyes widened and her jaw dropped when Riojay said that. She was shocked that the one she called "friend" had killed two living things, even though she knew they were hostile.  
  
"Riojay!" she gasped. "How could you?!?"  
  
"They call me pet, but I come from Basin. When I attack, they attack me and Na'leea." Kaala finally understood why Riojay did what he did. But she was still in a state of disbelief as Nobby and Minstelae, or "Min" as she liked to be called, led them to the eastern edge of the great falls. Croco was awestrucken by the first sight of Waterfall City. The waterfalls and the architecture of the city was too much for him to take in at once.  
  
"This is the greatest thing I have ever seen in my life!" Croco said ecstatically, "It's like being in ancient Rome, only with dinosaurs in it! Minstelae led Nobby past a great bridge that looked like the neckbones of one of the great sauropods, which Nobby explained was for the brachiosaur caravans that went through the Basin on their way to Treetown and the northern settlements. They came up to a somewhat lighter bridge but could still easily support the weight of the entire group as well as Minstelae, who weighed in at a little over 1,300 pounds. As soon as they crossed over and set foot in Waterfall City, an old man and his Parasauropholus were waiting for them. He ignored Brock and Mira's greeting as he made his way directly over to Croco.  
  
"Welcome to Waterfall City Croco Hallaway," he said. "They're waiting for you to sign the Registry." Croco turned to Mira.  
  
"Where is this...registry that this gentleman is talking about?" he asked her.  
  
"It's in the main library," the man said. He introduced himself as Lindon Robertson and his saurian companion as Swampfoot. Croco was in a state of complete awe. He had heard of an explorer by that name in one of his history classes.  
  
"Lindon Robertson?!?" he gasped, "If I'm not mistaken, you were the captain of a legendary ship called the Albacore that got taken down in a storm!" He smiled.  
  
"Correct, sonny!"  
  
"But that was way back in 1813! How can you still be alive?" Lindon let out a hearty chuckle.  
  
"Croco...you have a lot to learn about Dinotopia. Let's start by signing the Registry first." He turned to Brock. "Mind if me and Swampy accompany you to the library?" Brock didn't mind and invited Lindon onto the wagon, but he insisted that he ride Swampfoot there and they finally made their way down the broad street towards the library. Croco looked around at the many different species of dinosaurs there were and how they all lived in peace with their human counterparts, and he felt at ease. But even though he wanted to be Dinotopian, part of him still missed the world he came from...with all the electronic gadgets and gizmos and to him, a triceratops-towed wagon seemed primitive. Still, after three months of living without all the stuff he took for granted in the outside world, he felt he was ready to give them up and start over again in a lost world of harmony by signing the Registry at the library of the great Waterfall City. 


	10. Chapter 9 Waterfall City and Final Good...

Chapter 9  
  
  
Croco took in the sights of Waterfall City, occasionally asking someone about the city or about what they were doing. Most of them were pretty friendly, except for an older man who ran an antique shop. He told Croco that he was well in his second century of life on Dinotopia and wanted to find a way off the island. Croco was shocked to find someone who wanted to leave.  
  
"Why would you want to leave?" he asked. The man scratched his head while trying to come up with something to tell Croco.  
  
"Cause...the only purpose of us skinnies are to serve the scalies," he told him. Then, he took off the hat he was wearing. "Oh, sorry to be so rude as to not introduce myself. Name's Steven Crabb, and my father, my son and I have been trying for years to find a way off this cursed island." Croco stepped off the wagon  
  
"Nice to meet you...my name is Croco Hallaway and I just landed here three months ago. So have you found a way to leave yet?" Steven laughed at that comment.  
  
"Can't Croco," he told him, "The seas are unnavigable and even then, there's a reef system surrounding the island that'll take down any ship that tries to sail over it." Croco smiled as he saw an opportunity to put his good spirit to work.  
  
"Well if you can't leave, then you might as well make the best of your life here," he told him. "I wanted to be a fighter pilot but now I'm stuck here, so I'm gonna become a Skybax rider instead because I want to be able to fly again." Steven balked at the idea of anyone from the outside world being able to fly, but he told him about the plane and the accident as well as the fact that landing on Dinotopia was the greatest thing to have ever happened to him. Steven started laughing hysterically.  
  
"Landing here...the greatest thing to have ever happened to you?!?" he said between his laughter, "I feel sorry for you, young dolphinback!" Brock insisted that they part ways, and Croco climbed back into the wagon. But he had a parting word for the crusty Steven.  
  
"If you're so unhappy about being here, there's always a hungry tyrannosaur in the Basin that'll change that!" Steven cursed at him while Riojay was laughing. However, Croco received a scolding from both Mira and Nobby and the laughter stopped immediately. They continued making their way through the city when the triceratops turned back to her passengers.  
  
"The library is straight ahead," she announced. Nobby then found a place to park the wagon while Brock undid her from her chains. She bellowed in relief as the six of them started towards the steps of the library. Once inside, Croco began looking around and noticied there wasn't a single book.  
  
"Hey, where are the books?" he asked, pulling a scroll off of a shelf.  
  
"You're holding one," Brock told him. Croco gave him a look of cynicism as he explained further. "The saurians always found it easier to read from scrolls as they didn't have to bother flipping through pages. Makes some sense, doesn't it." He turned around to find that Croco had ran off. Brock called him many times before he found Croco engaged in a conversation about the outside world with a Troodon. He looked up to see Brock and Nobby standing by him.  
  
"So, where's the registry?" he asked the troodon as Mira, Kaala and Riojay arrived.  
  
"Right this way if you follow me." The troodon led them down a long corridor and in front of a desk. "There you are Croco. Sign there and we'll send you on your way." A pause. "By the way, my name is Kado and I'm the head librarian here. Our old one, named Enit, was very similar to your friend over there...the deinonychus." Croco took the quill pen and looked over the registry carefully. He found Bernard Edwards, who landed in 1943 but found no one else he recognized. It took some coaxing but he finally signed his name:  
  
  
--- Joseph Hallaway - April 17th, 1997  
  
  
There was a brief moment of applause as Kado took the quill.  
  
"Very well Croco!" he said, "We shall see you to your quarters and get you a saurian partner to help you with your studies! I will leave you to say goodbye to your friends here." Kado left the area as Mira was the first to embrace Croco.  
  
"Good luck with your studies," she said, "If you ever need to write to us, use this instead of the normal footprint alphabet." She handed him a letter guide. "It's called the Chandaran Transistional Alphabet and is common in our region. Based on the saurian alphabet, but more like that of the outside world so it will be easy. Breathe deep, seek peace Croco." Next in line was Kaala.  
  
"I hope I get to see you again sometime," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I know I will Kaala," he told her. "After all, you really live up to your name...you're as sweet as they come." Kaala then called for Riojay, who came bounding in and pounced on Croco. He landed with a hard thud but wasn't hurt as the deinonychus got off of him.  
  
"I will miss you Croco," Riojay said, nuzzling him. "We have lots of fun...together."  
  
"I know we did Rio...too bad I couldn't help you guys out with those raptors back there." Riojay told Croco that it wasn't his fight.  
  
"Us Basin raptors don't need human to help. I'll be waiting to hear from you Croco!" Then Brock came up to him.  
  
"Croco," he said, "it was nice to have you around. I've never had the honor of having a freshly found dolphinback living in my home and all the things you told me about the outside world...well, you're free from that. I'm gonna miss you, and I love you like my very own son." He gave Croco a big hug and wished him luck on his journey. But Nobby, who was the only one left, was nowhere to be found. Croco waited until she finally came in.  
  
"Nobby," he said, "where have you been?"  
  
"I was doing some hard thinking," she told him. "I heard that conversation with that man and I know you still long to return to your world, but life in Dinotopia will be much better than if you had every possession you wanted from the outside world. All people care about over there is themselves...another dolphinback told me that about a hundred or so years ago."  
  
"Couldn't agree more." Nobby sighed as she tried to find the words to say.  
  
"Young man...what I'm about to tell you will probably stay with you for the rest of your days here." She thought long and hard. "When you washed ashore, the pain and suffering that the outside world had inflicted on you was washed away by the sea. You're a new person...reborn from the sea and ready for a new beginning. I will miss you dearly Croco...you have become the son I never had." The old triceratops felt a tear trickle down her face as Croco reached to embrace her.  
  
"Thank you," he said, "Without you, I would still be lost and trying to find myself. You have become like a second mother to me, although you walk on four legs and have horns. I will miss you a lot as well...I love you...Nobella!" Croco broke down and started crying as he gave her a kiss on one of her enormous horns. Nobby returned the favor and gave him a saurian hug, making sure not to crush him. Then Brock gathered his family and they proceeded towards the door. But before they walked out, Nobby turned and bellowed loudly while standing on her back legs, then came crashing back down.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace! I will miss you all!" Croco shouted. Kado was already at his side as he waved to them.  
  
"They tend to forget that this is still a library," he said. "But I can understand long, emotional goodbyes." He then led Croco into a back room.  
  
"So are you ready to begin?" he asked. Croco thought about it deeply, the memory of Nobby's words still lingering in his mind. Then he turned back to Kado.  
  
"Yes I am," he said firmly. Kado laughed and led him back into the streets.  
  
"Then come with me," he said, gripping his hand, "your quest begins now Croco Hallaway....." 


	11. Chapter 10 A New Beginning

Chapter 10  
  
  
(-I am a Protoceratops)  
  
  
Kado and Croco made their way down the street and to a large building, although not as large as the library. Croco looked up at it.  
  
"What is it?" he asked. Kado craned his neck to look up at it.  
  
"Oh, it's just the Aqua Stadium, but it's not important right now," he told him and continued on. They got to a bridge where they crossed over and were at the foot of another large building.  
  
"Now here...here is our destination," Kado said. "The Haven of Muses...so what do you think?" Croco thought about it shortly.  
  
"It sure is nice...but is this where I'm gonna stay?" Kado nodded and led him inside where a number of people and saurians were waiting to greet him. If there was one thing the young man enjoyed, it was the hospitality of the Dinotopians. Everywhere he had been, they have treated him like royalty yet Croco remained humble as he accepted the greetings. They led him to his dormitory, where a smallish dinosaur was waiting inside. When it saw Croco, it bounded to the door.  
  
"So if it isn't Croco Hallaway," it said. Croco bent down to greet the saur, a Protoceratops.  
  
"That would be me," he said with a smile. The protoceratops then introduced herself as Castra, decendant of the great saurian ambassador Bix. Castra, or "Cassie" as she preferred to be called, took Croco on a tour of the Haven, showing him where he would be taking his classes and where the great poets stayed and worked. About halfway through, a bell rang loudly and the reddish-yellow Cassie nudged Croco hard in the leg.  
  
"Dinner bell!" she announced and charged towards the door, circling to make sure Croco caught up to her, then led him down a corridor to the dining room. Croco had barely sat down when Kado got up and made an announcement.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen and saurians..." he said, "...the dolphinback has arrived." There was applause as Cassie motioned Croco to join Kado at the head of the table. He introduced him to everyone and told them about how he ended up on the island and his stay with Brock and his family. Then he went on, at the request of one of the older men, to tell them about the happenings in the outside world. Most of them were astonished by the hate and violence that was going on, but Kado was there to remind him of what Nobby told him. He was now free from that world and ready to start over as a Dinotopian.  
  
After they had all eaten and dispersed, Croco stepped outside and climbed on a rock overlooking Gateway Falls. When Cassie had found him, it was dark and he was in a state of deep thought. But being as she couldn't climb the rock he was sitting on, she called Croco down to where she was.  
  
"What troubles you?" she asked.  
  
"Everything," he told her. Croco went on about the crash and his brother and the first days he spent on the island. Cassie had him bend down so she could give him a hug. Once at her level, Croco got on a knee and asked her where she lived.  
  
"Oh, I live right here in Waterfall City," she told him, "Not too far from where we are as a matter of fact. Why is that?" She knew just by the look on his face what he wanted. "I see...you want to spend the night, don't you?" Croco nodded and Cassie went inside. A few minutes later, she came out and told him that it was okay. They left the Haven and walked down the promenade and crossed over a bridge. The first house they came upon was her house and she led him inside, where two protoceratopses, one being a baby, were waiting. The larger one, a male, sat down in a chair very similar to the one Nobby had.  
  
-So what took you so long Castra?- he asked. Cassie walked up beside him and nuzzled.  
  
-Kal, they assigned me to a new dolphinback, whom I've brought with me.- She had Croco step to the middle of the room, where the young one rammed its head into the side of him.  
  
"Kalrix...Nalypta, this is Croco Hallaway, the new dolphinback. Croco, this is my mate Kalrix, and the little guy is Nalypta, or 'Lippy.' He's my first-born son...just six months out of his egg." Croco greeted them and thanked Cassie for letting him stay, and showed him to his room where he was surprised to see a bed for humans set up for him. She told him that they get a lot of human visitors from all over the island. Croco was all ready to go to sleep when Cassie climbed up into the bed beside him. He rolled aside to make room for her.  
  
"After all these years, I've never really slept beside a human. But then again, I've never welcomed a dolphinback into my home either. Breathe deep, seek peace Croco."  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace Cassie. Good night." Shortly after that, they were both asleep, arm over neck and tail wrapped around a leg.  
  
The next morning, everyone was up with the morning sun. After a short breakfast, Cassie and Croco were off. The first thing Croco noticed was the loud roar of the falls.  
  
"How can you guys sleep over the falls?" he asked, "I don't think I'd make it one night!" Cassie explained that the buildings were made from thick stones to keep the sound out. Then they made their way back to the Haven to start Croco's first day of his education. He was really looking forward to it, as he had already told her how bad he wanted to be a skybax rider. Cassie led him into a room full of ten eleven and twelve-year old children. She had them circle around Croco after introducing him to them.  
  
"OK, your first lesson will be about the Code of Dinotopia. Could you children please recite the Code to Croco?" One by one, Cassie pointed and they took turns reading off a part of the Code.  
  
"Survival of all or none.....One raindrop raises the sea.....Weapons are enemies even to their owners.....Give more, take less.....Others first, self last.....Observe, listen, and learn.....Do on thing at a time.....Sing every day.....Exercise imagination.....Eat to live, don't live to eat.....Don't p, but the remaining text is missing." Cassie had the children break the circle.  
  
"Now, does anyone have an idea on what that last part of the Code means?" she asked. A larger boy, about eleven, raised his hand.  
  
"Yeah," he said with a smile, "don't pee in the bath." The children broke out in high-pitched laughter. Croco thought that the boy's answer was ridiculous, but didn't bother to say as he didn't want to hurt his feelings. However, he did have a response for him and bent down to meet him eye-to-eye.  
  
"Surely that couldn't be it," he said, "After all, I don't think that the dinosaurs would pee in the bath." Cassie poked her head in between them. She explained that it was probably meant for humans but it was entirely untrue and that it was something else. A bell rang and Cassie dismissed the kids.  
  
"Say good-bye to Croco, the new dolphinback," she told them. They took turns saying goodbye to Croco, followed by a "Good-bye Castra." After the children had all left, Cassie led him into a different room and had him sit down.  
  
"Now, we shall start to teach you the alphabet of Dinotopia," she said, and they immediately went to work. Another man, an African man named Timbo, also came to tutor Croco. They all became instant friends, and that proved to be valuable to his learning. 


	12. Chapter 11 Sirius

Chapter 11  
  
  
Croco proved to be an apt pupil, and had already mastered the saurian alphabet within the first few months. He was starting to read some of the scrolls with some ease, but his favorite was one titled "The Great Guide of Pterosaurs," which had a lot of information on Quetzalcoatlus skybax, pteranodons, dimorpodons and many of the other pterosaur species that called Dinotopia home. Kado saw this and told him that he could keep it as long as he took care of it, which he swore to do. Croco spent a lot of time at the library, reading about the dinosaur species he loved as a small boy. Only this time, it was written by that saurs themselves.  
  
Another one of Croco's favorite pasttimes was swimming at the Aqua Stadium, much to the shegrin of Cassie as she couldn't swim. He loved the huge water slide, as he was an avid roller coaster and thrill ride fan back in New York. And he also enjoyed swimming with the dolphins that lived in the large tank. One day as he was about to climb in the water after a hard day of learning, one of the dolphins poked its head out of the water. Croco thought it was odd and he started to walk away, but the curious dolphin followed his every move. He then ran into a woman who was a frequent visitor to the Stadium.  
  
"I see you got a friend in Sirius," she told him. "He's the only dolphin I know in there that tries to avoid people." Croco looked at her in astonishment.  
  
"Whoa, I thought dolphins enjoyed the company of people," he said. The woman nodded. "Are you saying that this one...Sirius...doesn't like people?" She nodded again, but she caught a glimpse of him and knew he was telling him something.  
  
"What are you waiting for, jump right in!" she said. Croco did just that and Sirius circled him. Then he dove and leaped clear over his head, the joy on Croco's face was evident. He swam after the dolphin and took a hold of his dorsal fin and Sirius took him under the water, diving to about twenty feet below the surface before returning Croco so he could take a breath. This continued for a good two hours before an impatient Cassie bellowed at him to exit and return to the Haven for supper. As he climbed out out, Sirius popped his head out of the water and Croco turned to him.  
  
"Goodbye Sirius," he said, "I'll come back to play tomorrow." Sirius made a waving motion with one of his flippers and disappeared beneath the surface. A few seconds later, he flew out of the water as Croco and Cassie watched. Cassie sighed as they made their way out of the stadium and back to the Haven.  
  
"That dolphin's sure got a thing for you," she said. Croco didn't know why Sirius only liked him and not anyone else, but he thought about it as he walked back over the bridge and into the great educational center, still wet from his swim. He hurried to get dressed for dinner as the protoceratops had already made her way to the dining hall. Soon, Croco was down there himself, but was still thinking about the dolphin that befriended him.  
  
The next day as they made their way to the library, Croco instead made a turn to the Aqua Stadium, much to the dismay of Cassie. Just before he was about to enter, she charged in front of him to block the entrance and in doing so, causing Croco to fall on his face. Then she pinned him down with her front feet.  
  
"And just where do we think we're going?" she demanded. But Croco wouldn't tell her anything until she got off of him. Cassie refused to at first, but eventually gave in after Croco wouldn't stop telling her that he wasn't going to talk. She backed off to let him stand back up.  
  
"Why were you going to go into the Stadium?" she demanded, still blocking the entrance. Croco took some time to think before dropping to a knee to get at eye-level with his companion.  
  
"I wanted to see how Sirius was doing," he confessed. "He's become a close friend of mine like you and Timbo...and before that Brock and Nobby and Kaala." She then told Croco that he could go back after his lessons for the day were done. And after he completed his studies and chores at the Haven, he didn't think twice before slipping into a pair of swimming shorts and making his way over to the Stadium to play with Sirius. This routine continued for several months as Croco and Sirius had gotten used to the presence of each other.  
  
But one day as Croco made his way to the great pool, he called for Sirius but nothing happened. He tried calling again, only to have the same result. Then he jumped into the water, expecting him to pick him up or circle him, waiting for him to grab his fin. When he didn't come again, Croco climbed out of the water and tracked down one of the caretakers of the dolphins. He knew that he hadn't been his usual frisky self over the past few days but didn't suspect anything.  
  
"Excuse me, but do you know what happened to Sirius?" he asked, "He isn't in the main pool." The caretaker, or "dolphin keeper" turned around and saw Croco. She looked him over.  
  
"You're the young man that he has grown attached to," she said sadly, "It pains me greatly to tell you this, but sometime during the night, he ceased to live as a result of the illness he had contracted. I am sorry." She told him that he had lived a full life, but that did nothing to console Croco as he was sobbing loudly on her shoulder. They were soon joined by Cassie, who motioned for him to bend down to see her at eye level.  
  
"I know how much you loved Sirius," she said while cooing softly. "I enjoyed watching you two play together and will miss him as much as you will." But even Cassie knew that wasn't the truth, as she wasn't the one who played and frolicked in the giant pool with him. The dolphin keeper then noticed a marking on Croco's right arm, which was one of several tattoos covering his arms and the back of his neck. It was a gold shield, triangular in shape, with a solid blue winged creature in the middle resembling a pterosaur in the middle and two dark lines running down from its feet. Around this it said "Born of the Sky," and the dolphin keeper was mystified by this.  
  
"Do you know what that mark is?" she asked him. Croco shook his head. "That is the same as what Oolu has on his uniform! Where did you find it?"  
  
"Oh...this?" he said, pointing to his arm, "I found it in a book from the outside world and because I was always flying somewhere, I thought it would be cool to have it tattooed on me as a reminder of what I am...and that is a flyer." They continued to chat until Cassie insisted that they leave.  
  
After they parted ways with the dolphin keeper and exited the stadium, Croco asked about Oolu. Cassie told him that he was the head Skybax instructor in Canyon City and along with his skybax Lightwing, was the Aerial Habitat Partner who kept track of the weather and the pollen and dust levels. Naturally Croco wanted to meet him, but she told him that he was really old and on the verge of retiring from his duties of Habitat Partner and Skybax instructor. However, that didn't ease the pain of Sirius' death and Croco went to bed that night shaken and crying, knowing that a good friend of his was now gone. 


	13. Chapter 12 Kaala's Visit

Chapter 12  
  
  
The next day, Croco continued on with his studies, but obviously he was still struck with grief over the loss of Sirius. But he still went on and became somewhat of a favorite in the library, at the Aqua Stadium, and in the poet's hall. While living in his outside world home of Webster, New York, he was part of a rock band with three other friends of his who called themselves "Sonic Overload." Croco played bass guitar and was a backup vocalist and occasionally wrote songs for the band. He shared some of the lyrics as well as the original poetry he composed since he was on the island. Most of his lyrics were of angst and rage while his poetry was of peace and happiness, which Cassie immediately pointed out as a product of the way of Dinotopian life.  
  
About six weeks after the passing of Sirius, and after Croco had changed out of his swimming apparel following his morning swim, one of the elders knocked on the door of his room.  
  
"Croco..." he said, "...you have a visitor." Croco rushed to get dressed, but he didn't know why he had company. 'Odd,' he thought, 'hardly anyone knows me here, so who would want to visit me?' But when he came out to greet the visitor, it had became apparent. It was a little girl, no more than ten summers old. Her long, flowing brown hair came down to her waist and her eyes were almost as green as Croco's. The girl stood firmly by the side of her saurian companion, a deinonychus whose dark green hue gave way to an ivory white on its underbelly. When Croco saw who it was, he turned pale as if he saw a ghost.  
  
"Kaala?!?" he gasped, "Is it really..." She rushed toward Croco as he held out his arms.  
  
"Yes, it's me...Kaala!" she squealed as she leaped into him. Then Kaala motioned to her companion. "Come Riojay...it's Croco!" Riojay nuzzled the young man and they walked up to Croco's room in the facility where Cassie was waiting for them. She could tell that they knew Croco from somewhere else.  
  
"Friends of yours, I assume?" she said with a hint of glee. Croco introduced Kaala and Riojay to the protoceratops, after which Riojay eyed Cassie with the intent of making a meal out of her. But Croco reassured her that he was only playing and that he did that all the time.  
  
"So how did you guys get to Waterfall City?" he wondered as he lied on his freshly made bed.  
  
"We took the gliders on our side of the river," Kaala told him. "The ride was fun! Closest I'll ever get to being a Skybax rider like you're gonna be." Riojay spun around as if he were still on the glider, then he sat on the bed next to Croco. The deinonychus put his head right up against Croco's chest as if to nuzzle, but never did.  
  
"I miss you Croco," he said, "Not same at home without you." Croco put an arm around Riojay's neck and gently scratched it. Then he jumped up at started towards the door.  
  
"Who wants to go for a walk around Waterfall City?" Croco asked. Both Kaala and Riojay jumped up and he led them out of the Haven and back over the bridge. With Cassie as their tour guide, they spent the whole day walking around the great city while she told them interesting details about each of the landmarks they visited. They stopped to watch a meeting at the Round Table Hall, where Kado was operating a typewriter-like device in the middle of the circular table. After the meeting, Croco introduced his friends to the exhausted troodon.  
  
"Just hope you never have to type out long speeches with your feet," he told them with a toothy smile. They laughed and parted ways. The next stop was the Sabertooth Statues at the southern edge of the city. Cassie told them the legend about the statues and the falls, then told them to make their way back to the Haven as it was getting late. The next day when Croco woke up, he was surprised to see that Kaala had a half-eaten piece of fruit in her hand. She started shaking him as he was still half-asleep.  
  
"C'mon Croco!" she said loudly, "Cassie and I just had some breakfast!" He told Kaala about his morning routine of going down to the Aqua Stadium to swim before breakfast and asked her if she wanted to come.  
  
"Sure!" she said with delight and went into an empty room to change into her swimsuit. Croco did the same in his room and he took Kaala by the hand and led her to the Stadium. He dove in and was expecting her to come in after him.  
  
"Are you a good swimmer?" Croco asked. Kaala told him that she was somewhat good, but that she would rather go down the water slide instead. And so she did while Croco played with the dolphins. After about an hour, they decided to leave where Cassie was waiting to take them to a different section of the city. This routine continued for about four more days until they had seen every corner of Waterfall City. The fifth day saw them go into the library where Kado was waiting for them.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace Croco and Kaala," he said. They returned his greeting and asked them what they wanted to look at for the day. Croco wanted to see more scrolls about pterosaurs, specifically about Quetzalcoatlus, while Kaala was looking for something at her level on predators. She came across a scroll entitled "Humor for Predatory Species," which was a collection of jokes put together by a Utahraptor. It didn't take long before Kaala and Riojay were howling with laughter and soon Croco came over to see what the commotion was about, only to find Kaala reciting a joke.  
  
"...So the velociraptor said, 'If a T-Rex would go to any extreme for a meal, then surely I could.' He ended up jumping in the river and you know what happened.....he ends up in the jaws of another Rex...and he said 'Wow, it's been a long time between meals for me,' then the first one lowered itself to the second one's stomach and said, 'see...told ya a Rex would go to any length!'" All three of them started laughing hysterically to the point where Kado took the scroll away from the girl.  
  
"I don't think that's appropriate reading for a little girl," he said sternly. "Those are jokes and riddles gathered up over many thousands of years by a wild utahraptor. The only ones that read that are carnosaurs that come from the Basin." With that, Riojay nudged the troodon.  
  
"But I come from Basin," he pleaded. Still, Kado wouldn't let them have the scroll. However, he did let Croco check out one called "The Mysteries of the Skybax." He then followed Croco to the main door, not saying anything until he was about to exit.  
  
"Sorry if I startle you, but I see you have a keen interest in pterosaurs and wanting to be a Skybax rider," he told him. Croco confirmed this and he led him back into the library. "Well if you come by the library around midday tomorrow, I'll introduce you to a friend of mine. But that's all I am going to tell you." Croco was a little confused.  
  
"Are you sure..." he started, but Kado cut him off.  
  
"I've already talked to Castra about it and she says it's OK," he told him. Then Kaala tapped on Croco's shoulder, telling him that they were overdue to leave Waterfall City and needed to return home to Neopylos. Kado recognized this and led the trio out of the library, where an apatosaurus was waiting for them. Kaala told them that they were supposed to meet her parents in Bonabba. Though Croco wanted her to stay, he knew that she had to be going.  
  
"Breathe deep Kaala," he said.  
  
"...Seek peace Croco, and good luck!" she replied.  
  
"Say hello to your parents and Nobby for me!" and the apatosaur, with Kaala and Riojay walking beside it, slowly lumbered off toward a barn in order to make preparations for their journey through the Rainy Basin. Kado and Croco waved until they were out of sight then turned to reenter the library. But there was something about this "friend" of Kado's that made him feel very uneasy and nervous. He tried to forget about it as Cassie met up with him and they went back to her house to retire for the night. Still, he was nervous about the next day and Cassie went to sleep beside him to try and calm his nerves. 


	14. Chapter 13 Oolu and the Baby Saur

Chapter 13  
  
  
(-I am a Chasmosaurus-)  
  
  
The next day, Croco was up really early so he could be ready to meet this friend that Kado told him about. He didn't go to the Aqua Stadium like he usually did, instead he just went straight to the Haven for breakfast and a brief lesson on the saurian culture. As the sun rose higher in the sky, Cassie knew that the arrival was soon so she wrapped up his lesson and hurried him to the library. Occasionally she would be teaching older children and preteens, but mostly she taught Croco on a one-on-one level like on this day.  
  
When they got there, Kado was nowhere to be found. So they looked all over the library for him, asking every living thing they came across. Finally, they stepped outside where Kado was waiting for them.  
  
"It's about time!" a relieved Croco said. Kado didn't say anything, as he just led them around to another side of the library. As they rounded a corner, Croco caught a glimpse of a large wing. 'A Skybax rider, no doubt about it,' he thought as he followed the troodon around to where the skybax and its rider was. Croco had seen many Skybax riders in his ten months on the island, but this one was different. The rider was an older man wearing a blue uniform with a badge just like the tattoo on Croco's arm. He was a little bit shorter than Croco and had golden blonde hair which ran down the side of his head and face like the mane of a lion. His brown eyes looked over the young man and a smile came across his wrinkled face. Kado knew that he was awestruck just being in the presence of the rider, but he made the introductions anyway.  
  
"Croco Hallaway, I would like you to meet Oolu, head Skybax trainer of Canyon City." Croco beamed with great joy as he shook Oolu's hand. He had read about him and the things he had done over the years.  
  
"I am greatly honored and privileged to meet you Oolu," he said with a hint of uneasiness. Oolu simply smiled and led him to the side of his mount, named Lightwing.  
  
"So...Kado tells me that you're quite interested in becoming a Rider," he said. Croco explained to him how he was a pilot back in the outside world and that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all pilots.  
  
"You're a natural flier, and I hope to have the privilege of teaching you to ride a Skybax," Oolu commented as Kado told Croco that he was planning on retiring soon as he was 261 summers old and ready to give up the only craft he had known since he was 15. They continued to talk as they went inside, with Croco asking the Master pilot a lot of questions about Skybaxes and riding in general. After they spent most of the day chatting, Oolu told everyone that he had to be back in Canyon City so everyone followed him to the platform where the Skybax would land and take off from. However, before he left Oolu called Croco over to him.  
  
"I know there's a lot of good things ahead for you Croco," he told him, "It's all up to you to decide where they take you. Remember, you are like a feather and your destiny is like the gentle breeze that carries it. Breathe deep Croco..." Kado whispered something in the young man's ear. Then he turned back to Oolu.  
  
"...Fly high Oolu..." he replied.  
  
"...Seek peace!" Kado added, and like that Lightwing was in the clouds. They didn't have time to wave goodbye before a loud bellow was heard over the falls. They rushed over to the scene where a Chasmosaurus mother was lamenting and pacing back and forth. Fortunately Cassie was with them, as the chasmosaur didn't speak human languages.  
  
-Help me!- she cried, -My hatchling's fallen in the canal and I'm afraid she's going to go over the falls!- Croco nudged Cassie in the side.  
  
"What did she say?" he asked.  
  
"She said her infant's fallen into the canal!" she barked, "If we don't do something..." But Croco was already looking over the edge to find the young dinosaur. He started to take off his shirt and shoes and looked back into the water. Croco spotted the chick, then a Brachiosaurus and bent down to Cassie's level to give her instructions.  
  
"Cassie...get that brachiosaur over to a place where it can lower its head into the canal to pick me up," he told her. Then he stood back up. "And Kado...stay here and try to comfort the mother." Something told them that Croco was about to do something drastic.  
  
"What are you doing?!?" they asked simutaniously. But he had already dove into the canal much to the shock and horror of nearby observers.  
  
"Holy Cornucopia!" Kado gasped, "he must be mad!" Croco swam over to where he saw the young chasmosaur, but it wasn't there so he swam downstream. He saw a head pop up and the little saurian gasping for air, so he grabbed it and signaled for the brachiosaur to get in position to grab him out of the water. Croco swam over so it could get a good grip, then turned to the hatchling.  
  
"You're all right," he said softly, "we're just gonna go for a little ride...I've gotcha nice and tight." He started to coo to comfort the little one as the brachiosaur grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted them both out of the water. Fortunately the youngster wasn't that heavy yet, but at two-hundred fifty pounds was still heavier than Croco. The sauropod dropped them back off in the middle of the promenade to the delight of all that were watching. The applause could be heard over the thundering falls as the hatchling raced over to the comfort of its mother. Relieved and thankful, the chasmosaur walked up to Croco and said something while nuzzling him.  
  
"She says she owes you more than the earth can give for rescuing her daughter," Cassie translated for him. But Croco went off to put his shirt back on, then came back.  
  
"Tell her that it was nothing for me and that her gratitude is all I need," he said and the protoceratops translated what he said to the saurian. She cooed gently and gave him a hug while saying something.  
  
-Thank you, young human...may you live in peace and happiness.- Cassie was there to interpret and Croco stroked her face.  
  
"If we never meet again, remember me for the rest of your days. Breathe deep, seek peace." Kado had already made his way out of the crowd and back to the library while Croco and Cassie stuck around. There was an impromptu celebration in the street to honor Croco and his heroic deed, but he couldn't have done it without the help of Cassie and the brachiosaur, whose name was Kip Ridalapo. He also stayed and the celebration continued well past sunset as the crowd slowly dispersed to head back to their homes. Eventually Croco and Cassie did the same, but it was a very eventfully day for the young dolphinback. He had never thought in his imagination that he would meet his adopted hero and become a hero himself all in the same day and beamed with pride as he slowly drifted off to sleep. 


	15. Chapter 14 The First Letter

Chapter 14  
  
  
The next day as Croco made his way to class for the day, he was greeted by Timbo. He gave him a big hug as he entered the room for his lessons.  
  
"I hear you're quite the hero after saving that hatchling," he said proudly. Croco then explained to him that it was all in good nature. "I would've done that for anyone," Croco said and sat down, ready to begin his lesson.  
  
A week after that fateful day as Croco had finished for the day and was going for a short walk before dinner, he saw a Skybax rider approach him. He immediately froze as the rider, a young woman, approached with her mount.  
  
"Are you Croco Hallaway?" she asked. The young man nodded as she walked up to him with a scroll in hand. "I have a letter for you from Bonabba." Surprised that someone from that town knew him, he graciously accepted it as the young rider gave her skybax a hand signal and it took off toward the falls.  
  
"You're gonna have to learn how to do this if you're gonna become a flyer. Pay close attention to this," she told him and Croco did just that as the pterosaur circled back to where they were standing. When it got close to her, the rider grabbed a rope hanging underneath its belly and she climbed up into the saddle while the skybax lifted her off the ground. It circled back around to where Croco was standing and they skybax let out a loud wail.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace!" the rider shouted as her steed carried her over the falls and into the heavens.  
  
"Fly high," he said while he made his way back to the hall, still waving at the area where he saw the rider last. Once he got inside and to his dorm room, he unrolled the scroll and read the letter, written in saurian:  
  
  
Dear Croco,  
  
It has been close to a full year since you have landed and I would like to know how your studies in Waterfall City have been coming. Kaala tells me that you are in high spirits, even after the death of your good friend Sirius and I understand that you've made a lot of new friends on dry land as well. Brock and I have been planning a return to Waterfall City shortly after the Celebration of Fates so we can celebrate the one year anniversary of your landing. I am excited about the prospect of seeing you again as it is in my keen interest to see how you have come along in the first year of your life on Dinotopia.  
I heard from the Skybax rider that you have become a hero in Waterfall City after you saved that young chasmosaurus from certain death. As you know, us ceratopsians cannot swim and she would have surely drowned before she went over the falls. Along with everyone else, I am grateful and proud of you. It says in the Code that one raindrop raises the sea...now let me give you a little insight on what it means. Basically without saying too much, it means that anyone can make a difference in the world they live in, good or bad. I know you will make a positive influence on everyone you come across in your life, with the chasmosaur rescue being the first.  
Well I am going to wrap this up but as I leave you, remember this...everyone makes their own path in life. Where it leads is up to you.  
  
Breathe Deep, Seek Peace  
Nobella  
  
  
Just then, Cassie came into the room. She had a concerned look on her face as she watched Croco read the letter as the dinner bell rang.  
  
"Hey Croco," she said cheerfully, "aren'tcha gonna come to dinner?" Croco just looked at her and slumped on the bed. He buried his head in his arms and she hopped up on the small bed, asking him what was wrong.  
  
"I miss Nobby," he said sadly, "She's like a second mother to me...always helping me out and giving me words of wisdom. I truly do love her with all my heart." Cassie lifted a front leg and draped it around his neck while cooing and purring.  
  
"I know you do," she said in a soothing voice, "She must be very special to you to warrant these kind of feelings from you." Then she bounded off the bed and toward the door. "Come with me to dinner...I saw that Nobella mentioned the Celebration of Fates in the letter. It's only six weeks away, so you'll be seeing her again in no time!" That got Croco's attention and he joined her as they made their way to the dinner hall. And over the following weeks, the fact that Nobby and Brock and his family would be coming back to Waterfall City to visit him got Croco through his days as he looked forward to seeing the wise old triceratops and the family that helped get him on his feet again. 


	16. Chapter 15 Fate and Reflection

Chapter 15  
  
  
(=I speak the General Saurian language=)  
  
  
The first day of the new year brought a different kind of joy for Croco as Cassie had invited him to stay with her family the night before to celebrate the arrival of the new year. He taught them how to "properly" celebrate and well after midnight they went to bed, with Nalypta tucked into the caring arms of the dolphinback.  
  
However they were up with the morning sun and Croco had started for his swimming apparel when Kalrix nudged him hard. He knew how to speak human languages as well and addressed him.  
  
"Croco!" he said, "Today is a very special day for us Dinotopians! This morning, we will celebrate our fate as living creatures. Here, put this on." Kalrix gave him a red and black garment to put over the shirt he was wearing. He also instructed Croco to take off the denim vest he was wearing as well. When everybody was ready, they made their way out onto the street where many other people and dinosaurs were in similar dress. They finally arrived at an ampitheater somewhere further in town. Cassie and Kalrix made their way to the front of the ampitheater as the ceremony began.  
  
It started with a cloaked figure standing firmly in the center of the stage, gazing at the onlookers. Suddenly, a Styracosaurus bellowed loudly three times then a Stenonychosaurus bounded through the crowd like a ghostly apparition and stopped in the middle to begin the ceremony by uttering the following words:  
  
  
"Come up...gather all! I behold Fate, it's traveled far to tell us of its ways!"  
  
  
Then a young teenager in a black and gray cloak, about fifteen summers old, threw his arms outward. He appeared to be looking directly at Croco as he addressed the crowd with a firm yet understanding voice..."What is Fate?" He turned his back to the crowd, and then there was a long pause to let the mass reflect on the words he had just spoken. Finally, he turned back to the crowd so they could here these words:  
  
  
"Are you going to make your own destiny, or are you bound by your fears? Do you wish to be your own being, or are you just a puppet here for my pleasure? Will I make you dance and sing for me, then throw you down and watch you fall...fall into the canyon of all that can never be changed nor forseen? Or will you stand up to me and change what I have in store for you and while doing so, watch your dreams take flight?"  
  
  
The crowd jumped back, fearful of the words that were just spoken. Then Fate spoke, only more compassionate yet still firm:  
  
  
"Destiny...destiny is what you make of it. I am not a controller and you are not my puppets. Fate is what you make of it, we all must make choices in our lives. Some of them we may regret, and some of us are bound to fall. Do not curse me, yourselves or your fellow citizens for these mistakes, instead learn from them and teach it to those you call your friends. Dinotopia, come together! Unite in your bond with each other and together your fate shall become stronger.....brighter.....Dinotopian!"  
  
  
There was another long pause before the kid took off throught the crowd and disappeared from the ampitheater. Everybody started to file out and returned to their homes to continue on with their day. After a hearty breakfast and a quick swim, Croco was in the library, reading about Dinotopian history with Kado. But still the words from the show hung over him like a dark cloud.  
  
"Kado," he asked, "do you know of my fate?" He scratched his head in thought.  
  
"I am sorry Croco, I know not," he said. "Remember what you were told...destiny is what you make of it. You have the power...now you must use it!" Kado then invited him to go for a walk to the other side of the city so he could visit Azonthus, a velociraptor who was taking some time off from her duties at the library.  
  
While on the way, they came across a group of young saurians playing near a fountain. One of them, a young triceratops, jumped into the cool water. Although he could stand easily, he pretended that he was drowning.  
  
=Help me! Help me!= he cried. Another hatchling, this one a styracosaurus, circled around the fountain. Croco and Kado stopped to watch the little ones.  
  
=Oh no, my baby! What am I to do?!" she squealed in play-terror. Just then, a Lambeosaurus jumped into the fountain and put his paddle-like feet around the triceratops.  
  
=Don't worry,= he said, =My name is Croco and I'm here to save you.= A young Saltasaurus then put his neck into the water and the two hatchlings climbed out of the water to squeals of joy.  
  
=Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you're OK!= the styracosaur said and nipped at the triceratops. =Tag, you're it!= and then the little dinosaurs ran through the street. Croco was in disbelief...they had just reenacted the rescue scene even though they didn't even witness it. Kado put a clawed hand on his shoulder, beaming with glee.  
  
"He even said his name was Croco!" he said, still laughing. Croco folded his arms, then sat down beside the young lambeosaur who was taking a break. He folded in deep thought, then turned to the troodon.  
  
"So is this my fate...to be a hero to all of Dinotopia?" he sighed. Kado thought about it.  
  
"Well," he said, "remember, fate is what you make of it. If your fate is to be a hero, then there's nothing I can do to change it." A pause. "Although it would be quite a fate if you ask me." They got up and continued on their way to Azonthus' house on the western side of the city. And all the while, Croco kept thinking about his fate. He knew he wanted to be a Skybax rider, but would his fate allow him to be one? That question ate at him as they finally arrived at their destination. 


	17. Chapter 16 Crossroads

Chapter 16  
  
  
After their visit with Azonthus...which eased Croco's feelings about velociraptors...and after they returned to the Haven, Croco stood out on the promenade, looking out at the waterfalls and thinking deeply about Kado's words. Suddenly, he felt something bump into him and looked down to see Cassie staring at him.  
  
"Come in?" she asked. Croco shook his head. "Then what's bothering you this time?" He knelt down beside his protoceratopsian friend.  
  
"Everything about today has left me wondering about my whole purpose," he said, "Even though it's been almost a year, why I'm here and still alive beats the heck outta me. How did I get to be so lucky as to land here while my brother and best friend are dead and have probably been eaten clean by the fish? Do you think it's fate, like Kado said?" Cassie bobbed her head as an invitation, then Croco put his hand on her rough, scaly face. She started to coo as she leaned in closer.  
  
"I know...it's because I maintain a positive outlook on things, right?" he said. Cassie nodded and spun around once, then stopped and eyed Croco intently.  
  
"But those lyrics that you shared with us!" she bellowed. "They told a tale of pain and sadness!" Croco put a hand over her mouth so she couldn't say anything.  
  
"Those weren't mine Cassie," he told her, "A friend of mine wrote them. He was going through some hard times and needed a way to express himself. His name is Zach Scanlan and he was one of my best friends. I wonder how he's doing now...chances are not that well cause he thinks I'm dead and there's no way I can tell him otherwise." Cassie nuzzled him and told him that he was just fine as she led him inside to prepare for bed.  
  
The next day after his morning swim and breakfast, Croco went back to his room instead of to the library for his lessons. He had just put his head down when there was a knock on his door. Croco raced to see who it was and was surprised to see Timbo standing there. Six mothers Masai and a man of great wisdom, Timbo had became a pillar of strength for the young dolphinback as he shared his knowledge and taught him the very meaning of what it was to be Dinotopian. Croco invited him in and they sat down on his bed.  
  
"So what troubles you, young crocodile?" he asked. "Is it because the herds have moved away from your side of the river?" Croco looked at him in bewilderment and asked him what that meant. Timbo put an arm around the young man's neck.  
  
"It means that you are feeling alone in a world of many," he told him. "You can share with me all that's on your mind." Croco delved deep into his mind and his soul.  
  
"All the men in my family...or all the ones on my father's side of the river as you put it," he started, "have experienced some kind of downfall at the peak of their glory, starting with my great-grandfather Patrick Hallaway." Timbo put one of his large hands up and Croco froze.  
  
"I know a man named Robert Hallaway somewhere in Chandara, but I'm not sure. He landed here in 1919 and said something about a son of his getting killed while operating a mechanical bird, but it's been a long time since I've seen him...about twenty years to be exact." Croco was completely stunned by this revelation that Timbo made.  
  
"Was he from Ireland?" he asked aloud. Timbo nodded. "And was the son's name Patrick?" He thought about it for a long time.  
  
"Sorry, don't remember," he said sadly. "But you could ask him yourself, as he is a good friend of mine. He'll be coming up here in a couple more weeks." Croco was excited yet a little petrified that the man Timbo was talking about...Robert Hallaway...may in fact be his great-great-grandfather. He got up and paced about the room nervously while Timbo sat and watched him.  
  
"I'm at a crossroads in my life," he said, "I was at one in the outside world before the crash. I didn't know whether or not I wanted to be a fighter pilot or a paleontologist...I was stuck and didn't want to make the wrong choice. But I guess Kado's right...maybe it was fate that caused me to crash my plane into the sea...and maybe that's what kept me alive while the dolphins dragged me ashore to the waiting arms of Kaala and Riojay. I don't know what it is...all I know is that I'm very lucky to be anywhere period." Timbo called him back over to the bed. Sitting back down, Croco realized that lamenting over something that couldn't be controlled wasn't the best idea.  
  
"I hear your friends are coming back to Waterfall City in five more days." he told him. "You should be happy to see them...especially the triceratops you keep talking about."  
  
"Oh, Nobby. Yeah, I guess I am excited to see them. But all that stuff that happened yesterday left me in a deep state of thought that I haven't been able to shake free from." Timbo understood as he invited Croco to come with him to the library.  
  
Over the next couple of days, Croco experienced a refreshed state of mind as the one-year anniversary of his arrival on Dinotopia neared, and also the return of Brock and his family was nearing as well. He was able to get through his lessons with relative ease and he was also physically rejuvinated, going on long walks throughout the city. Occasionally he and either Cassie or Kado would stop to play with a young child or hatchling for a little while until he needed to sit down or grumbled about not being able to keep up with a hatchling that was much more fleet of foot. Croco continued this until the day before Brock's scheduled arrival, then he spent the day making signs to hang up over his room at the Haven and at Cassie's house as well. He went to bed knowing that tomorrow would be a day to remember. 


	18. Chapter 17 The Reunion

Chapter 17  
  
  
The morning sun rose over the great falls and Croco was already up and in the dining hall for breakfast. Cassie and a friend of hers, a stenonychosaurus, were there to greet him. The stenonychosaur, named Kubora, extended a clawed hand out to greet the young man and told him that he was visiting from Pooktook, a city on the northwest coast. Kubora had gotten word of Croco's rescue and since he was an acquaintance of Cassie's, decided to make the nine-day trip to Waterfall City to meet him. As usual, Croco was humbled by the fact that someone wanted to meet him.  
  
But then, someone caught Croco's eyes...someone that he thought he knew. It was a woman who was a bit older than him and she had midnight-black hair. He couldn't quite make out her face accurately enough to put a name to it. However, when she approached someone in the interest of finding something, Croco had a hunch that it was Mira Hornaday, the woman who nursed him back to health before sending him on his way. He watched very carefully as she walked up to a woman who was many years older than she was herself.  
  
"Excuse me, but can you please direct me to the dolphinback quarters?" she asked. Croco was within earshot and he now knew that it was indeed Mira. He rushed over to where she was and Mira barely had enough time to brace herself before Croco threw his arms around her. They were both laughing like a child who was reunited with a friend that had moved out of town. After about three full minutes, they broke away and Croco, still smiling, walked toward the outside door.  
  
"So where's everybody else?" he asked. Mira told them that they were outside and they were waiting for him. Croco rushed out the door with Cassie and Kubora not to far behind, and sure enough they were. As soon as Nobby saw the young man come out into the sunlight, she stood on he back legs and bellowed in excitement. When Croco saw and heard her, he raced to where she was and threw his arms around the triceratops. Soon Brock and Kaala joined her in embracing Croco and somewhere Riojay came out to nuzzle him as well. When Mira came back, they all sat around him.  
  
"So...how's Waterfall City?" Brock asked. Croco told them about his adventures with Cassie and Kado. He also told them about Sirius and the chasmosaur hatchling that fell into the canal, and they were still listening to sayings that Timbo had taught him as they proceeded to his room where they all sat around his bed, with Nobby standing outside and poking her head into the door. When Croco was finished, he led them back out into the courtyard where Kubora was waiting for him.  
  
"Cassie's in the library right now," he announced, "I don't know if your friends have met her, but you guys should come and see her anyway." Brock came up to him and told him that they would love to meet the protoceratops and so Kubora led them on the short walk to the library where Kado had just come back from a short walk himself. He didn't know anyone was behind him until he felt his tail get pulled. Kado yelped and turned to see Croco and Kaala laughing aloud.  
  
"All right...which one of you just did that?" he asked sternly.  
  
"Did what?" was their simutanious response. Kado sighed as he exchanged greetings with Croco. He asked him about the visitors that were with him.  
  
"You remember Brock and Mira Hornaday, do you?" The troodon's mouth opened slightly as to let out a sigh, but the sound never came out as he hugged Mira and told them how good it was to see them again. Kaala was off and looking through the library for the scroll she was reading last time...the very one that Kado had taken away from her the last time they were in the library. When she couldn't find it, she walked up to him with a disgusted look on her face.  
  
"Where's that scroll?!?" she demanded. Kado didn't know what Kaala was talking about and she was all too glad to remind him. Her parents were wondering what she was talking about as they didn't accompany her the last time.  
  
"She's talking about this joke scroll she found last time," Croco said. "It's called 'Humor for Predatory Species' and Kado ended up taking it away from her." They were shocked that she was interested in something like that as Brock knew a lot about the carnivorous species of Dinotopia, both tame and wild.  
  
"Castra told me about your visit and I decided to take it out of circulation temporarily," Kado announced and told them of the library policy concerning children and certain scrolls. He looked down to see Croco talking to the protoceratops and motioned him to introduce her to Brock and his family.  
  
"Oh, sorry," he said when he saw Kado. Croco had an hunch that he wanted him to introduce them to Cassie. "Brock...Mira...Nobella...this is Castra, my good friend and teacher, but everybody around here knows her as 'Cassie.' Cassie, this is Brock and Mira Hornaday and the triceratops is Nobella, better known as 'Nobby' to us." They took turns embracing Cassie and when this was completed, Nobby led her aside and engaged her in a conversation in her native tongue.  
  
-So how's Croco doing?- Nobby asked.  
  
-Croco? Oh, he's doing excellent...better than I thought he would,- Cassie informed her. -He's picked up saurian with relatively no problems and loves to read about pterosaurs and guides for Skybax riders. Kado tells me that in his mind he's obsessed.- She was speaking to Nobby in protoceratopsian and the difference between that and triceratopsian was somewhat distinguishable. But Nobby was fluent in all ceratopsian dialects.  
  
-Kado thinks he's obsessed, huh? Typical troodon characteristic if you ask me,- she said in protoceratopsian. Cassie backed up, slightly surprised.  
  
-You...speak protoceratops?- she asked and Nobby nodded her humongous head. They continued to have their discussion...mostly about Croco and his progress, but did occasionally talk about other things. When they came back to the main section of the library, they found the Hornadays and Riojay but no sign of Croco.  
  
-Where did Croco go?- Nobby asked. Nobody answered, but it was because she spoke in her language. She asked again and Brock said something about him and Kado going to eat somewhere along the Grand Promenade.  
  
"I know exactly where they went...follow me!" Cassie bellowed and they left the library. It took them about fifteen minutes for them to reach the Riverwalk Café. They were able to find Kado and Croco easily and sat down to eat. After their meal was finished, it was almost dark so they managed to head back to the Haven. They did have guest quarters for Brock and Mira, so they took a room while Kaala, Riojay and Nobby went into a separate room nearby. Croco wished them a good night and made his way back to his own room. 


	19. Chapter 18 The Trickmaster

Chapter 18  
  
  
Croco had just fallen asleep when all of a sudden, he woke up for no apparent reason. Something inside him told him that things were not right and he got up and walked around the inside of the hall, looking at the paintings and other pieces of artwork that had been assembled. Still, that didn't put him at ease, so he decided to take a short walk. He quietly made his way to the main door as to not wake anyone, but there was nobody around the main doors to wake up, so he pushed them open with great force.  
  
As soon as he stepped outside, Croco felt the wind throw him back against the doors hard. The force of impact knocked him out, but only for a brief second as he was able to awaken and rub his eyes. The wind kept howling and then out of nowhere came a young woman, dressed in the uniform of an Apprentice Skybax rider. She approached Croco as he looked on in horror. He didn't believe in ghosts but reasoned that it was one and was petrified.  
  
"What...what do you want?!" he finally choked out. The girl, with what appeared to be deep cuts on her throat and wrists, approached with a purpose and grabbed him by the throat.  
  
"You know what you did!" she screamed, "Why did you do this to me?!?" Croco, not giving an inch, stood up to engage the apparition.  
  
"Did what?!?" he demanded loudly. The girl told him how she was driven to insanity and about how she died. The wind started to ease up and just as rapidly as she came in, the girl disappeared instantly. Horrified to the fullest extend that he could be, Croco raced back inside...not back to his own bed, but to the visitor's section and straight into the room that Nobby was in. He threw his arms around her, which startled the old triceratops awake.  
  
"What is it Croco?" she asked groggily. Croco told her every detail about the girl and what happened. Nobby dismissed it as a nightmare and went back to sleep. But he pleaded with her that it indeed really happen and still she didn't believe, telling him to forget about it and go back to sleep. Croco tried to fall asleep, but the visions that appeared before him in the courtyard wouldn't go away, and even after he closed his eyes he still couldn't rest.  
  
When they awoke for breakfast the next morning, Brock could immediately tell that there was something wrong with Croco. Usually one of the first ones up, Croco didn't awake until everybody had long finished breakfast. And when he did finally get up, Mira was by his side.  
  
"What's the matter Croco? You look like you seen a ghost," she asked sarcastically. Croco grabbed her by the collar.  
  
"I did see a ghost!!!" he screamed, "She was wearing a Skybax rider uniform and grabbed me by the throat and asked me if I had done something to her!!!" He demonstrated how she grabbed him on Mira, who was more than unwilling to participate.  
  
"Ha! So it is true then!" someone shouted. It was Cassie. "You said you saw the ghost of a female Skybax rider last night, didn'tcha Croco?" Croco nodded. "Did she have cut marks on her wrists and neck?" He nodded again. "And was her uniform torn up around the middle?" Once again he nodded and Cassie approached him.  
  
"Croco..." she said in disbelief, "...what I'm about to tell you will likely scare you...but you were visited by the spirit of the Trickmaster last night. Last night was the one year anniversary of her death." It didn't scare Croco, but rather deeply confused him.  
  
"The Trickmaster...who in the world is that?" he asked. Cassie plopped up on the bed next to him and tried to remember the story. She sighed and perked up when she finally remembered it.  
  
"According to the legend..." she started, "...a young dolphinback named Abbie landed here about four or five years ago and she decided to become a Skybax rider much like you do. When she got to Canyon City, she met a young man and another dolphinback and they became friends." Everybody was in the room and they listened intently to the story, deeply intrigued.  
  
"But then one day, the young man forced Abbie to mate with him against her will and when she told everyone about it, they just said she took a fall and didn't believe her. However, she was able to put it aside to earn her Apprenticeship and she became a stunt pilot with her mount named Brightwing. Still, the memories of that terrible day ate at her and when Abbie finally met the one who did that to her, she took him out into the Basin and hung him over a tree for the wild raptors. Then Abbie also died that night, but she died by her own hand...that's where the marks on her neck and wrists come from. They say that on January 9th...the very night she died...that when the wind picks up, she is calling out for justice against the one who caused her to take her life." All were in shock over the story that Cassie had told, but Croco wanted some answers.  
  
"That's...very interesting," he said, "but why did she come after me?" Cassie explained that the person who raped Abbie looked very similar to him in appearance. They all had questions, specifically about Abbie and Brightwing, and Cassie was happy to answer them all. But Croco left the room in disbelief over the fact that out of all the people in Dinotopia, the spirit of a Skybax rider who was raped, then committed suicide shortly after still puzzled him as he went off to the dining hall to share his story, still in his pajamas.  
  
When he did tell his tale, Croco was met with skepticism, but pleaded that everything that happened was true. Some believed him, but most of the scholars dismissed it as a simple nightmare. After Croco finished his meal, he grumbled off as he went back into his room to change into his clothes. But he will never forget that night for as long as he lived...the night the Trickmaster came calling for him. Croco continued on with his day without incident and went to bed in a realative calm, but still the thoughts of the disturbing events that happened the night before crossed his mind as he dozed off to sleep for the night. 


	20. Chapter 19 Robert Hallaway

Chapter 19  
  
  
The Hornadays spent the next three days taking in the sights of Waterfall City with Croco and Cassie as their tour guides. Croco showed them the hall where the great spiral clock that kept the time for all of Dinotopia and introduced to his good friend Malik while Cassie took them to the temple where the stone containing the Code of Dinotopia among other places. But when the time came for them to leave, there was another set of long, emotional goodbyes between Croco and the Hornadays...especially between Croco and Nobby. He just loved that old triceratops to death and didn't want to leave her for one second. But he knew that they had to get back to Neopylos so he finally parted ways and headed back to his room with Cassie.  
  
About a couple weeks after the reunion, Croco was just returning from the Aqua Stadium after an evening swim when he saw Timbo and a white-haired man walking and chatting away. He rushed up to greet Timbo when they both turned around.  
  
"So is this your friend you were talking about?" Croco asked him. The white-haired man smiled as he shook his hand.  
  
"You must be th' lad Timbo's been tellin' me about over these months," he said with a fairly thick Irish accent, "Name's Robert Hallaway an' it's a pleasure to meet you." Timbo stepped aside just as Croco was about to introduce himself.  
  
"I'm truly honored. My name's Joseph Hallaway, but everyone calls me..." Robert cut him off as soon as he heard the name Hallaway. It was the first time that Croco introduced himself as Joseph since he had been on the island.  
  
"Another member of the ol' Hallaway clans from the Emerald Isle, eh? And just.....you're Joseph???" Croco nodded and Robert was in disbelief. "Impossible!" he cackled. "I don't remember Hannah leaving you with me!"  
  
"Hannah?" Croco asked.  
  
"Yes...m'son Patrick met a girl named Hannah o'er in England during the Great War. Flew a Tripe 'gainst those bloody Germans and was pretty good at it." Croco was interested in hearing the elder Hallaway's tale and asked what happened to Patrick.  
  
"What happened?" Robert grumbled, "I'll tell ya...that little bugger Voss shot 'im down in a ball of flames but not 'fore he sent 22 of 'em bastards down 'imself. He was just a kid 'imself...had to be 'bout your age." Croco remembered his father telling him that his great-grandfather Patrick had shot down 22 enemy aircraft in World War I and was shocked.  
  
"So...how did Joseph come to be?" he asked.  
  
"Came three months after he died," Robert told him, "Hannah decided to move to America and that's th' last I knew of 'im. I ended goin' out t'sea after that and spent two years on th' open waters 'fore a bloody typhoon got us after we left India." Croco was in an even deeper state of shock after Robert's latest revelation and asked one final question.  
  
"Your grandson..." he asked, "...was his name...Joseph..Patrick...Hallaway?" Robert cackled with glee.  
  
"Sure is!" he said, and with that Croco ran off back to the Haven.  
  
"What's gotten into him," he asked Timbo. All he did was shrug and directed him to where Croco was heading.  
  
Cassie was just walking around the Poet's Hall, reading some of her favorite poems which included one that Croco had written and had translated into Saurian when out of nowhere, Croco bounded into the room and in a highly excited state, tackled her to the ground. At a good four-hundred fifty pounds, Cassie was definitely surprised by this.  
  
"Croco!" she gasped, "what's the big idea?!?" Breathless, Croco proclaimed the news to her and Cassie casually followed him out while he raced out to meet them. They all met in a corridor and Croco had his arm around Robert.  
  
"Cassie...this is my great-great-grandfather Robert," he said as hand met front foot. "My Grandpa Croco told me about him...he said that Robert was lost at sea but I didn't believe for a moment that he had landed here!" Robert was a little confused as to who "Grandpa Croco" was and didn't hesitate to ask.  
  
"My Grandpa Croco would be your grandson," Croco said as he started to tell the story of how he got his nickname while flying a fighter plane in World War II. He also told him how he had 28 confirmed fighter kills and many more either unconfirmed, shared or non-fighter kills which he added up to around 170 total. Finally, he went on to explain how the nickname "Croco" got passed down from generation to generation until it got to him.  
  
"...and that's how I got to be...Joseph Patrick Hallaway, the third...better known around here as Croco Hallaway." They all started back to his room while at the same time Robert explained to him that now he knew for sure that he was his great-great-grandson that he wanted to march in the parade in Sauropolis during the Day of Ancestors celebration on the thirteenth of February. Croco, of course, was flattered that he wanted him to march with him and his companion Graniteback, a Ankylosaurus. They went into the dining hall for a quick snack of fruit and fresh mango juice before retiring for the night. However, Robert announced his intentions of staying in Waterfall City and that he had sent a Skybax rider to fetch for Graniteback, and that delighted the younger Hallaway very much. And as he went to bed, Croco knew that he had one more person he knew he could trust in his great-great-grandfather Robert Hallaway. 


	21. Chapter 20 Progress

Chapter 20  
  
  
With Robert now at his side as well as Timbo, Cassie and Kado, Croco made great progress over the next several months. He felt he was ready to make the journey to Treetown, even though Cassie was waiting for the next Habitat Conference which would be in six months. However, they did take the time to head up to Deep Lake, which was to the north of Treetown for the Festival of Air Creatures and the Skybax stunt shows over the lake. Croco was amazed by the stunts and maneuvers that the Master pilots executed and kept repeating to himself that he would be in those shows. When the Festival ended, it was time to head back, but not before Cassie visited her mother who lived near Canyon City.  
  
They were all delighted to visit Cassie's mother, but she had eyes for only one, and that was Croco.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace Croco Hallaway," she said, "Or should I say...fly high, seek peace." Everybody laughed at the elder protoceratops' joke as she reared up at Croco. He got down on a knee while Cassie made the introduction.  
  
"Croco, this is Bix, my mother.....Ma, this is Croco, the young man whom I've been working with in Waterfall City." They embraced as Bix started to tell him tales of her adventures with another American dolphinback 140 years earlier, an explorer and scientist named Arthur Denison and his son Will, who was one of the pilots in the Skybax show just days before. When asked if he wanted to see Canyon City, Croco balked at the idea until the time was right for him.  
  
"I'd love to see Canyon City," he said finally, "but not until I am ready to start Skybax training." They all understood, but Bix tried to plead with him one last time. Again Croco said no and they all went back to preparing for the night.  
  
When it came time to head back to Waterfall City, Bix accompanied them through the Basin and back to civilization. Cassie led them to her house, where Nalypta bowled Croco over on sight. At two summers, he was already as long as his mother and weighed close to five hundred pounds. Croco giggled like a little boy when he stood over him.  
  
"Take it easy Lippy...save your ferocity for the Basin!" he said, laughing. Cassie called him over to see Bix and he raced over to nuzzle his grandmother. When Croco looked out at the sky, it was getting dark and pleaded to them that he get back to his room at the Haven. Timbo and Robert had already left, but Cassie begged him to spend the night with her. He accepted and a few moments later, he was fast asleep with a tail drooped around his neck. The tail belonged to Bix as she wanted to sleep in the guest room as well, but Kalrix forgot to put out the extra bed and the next morning, he received a scolding from Cassie before they made their way to the library.  
  
Bix stayed with Cassie and Croco over the next couple months, with Cassie teaching him and Bix monitoring his progress. She was surprised by his ability to read and write at the level he was at after only eighteen months of study, excluding the one month they went up to Deep Lake.  
  
"I feel that you are more than ready," Bix said joyfully. Croco was puzzled. Bix said that he was more than ready, but he didn't know exactly what he was ready for. Cassie led him aside.  
  
"Well," she said, "it appears that you are ready to make the trip to Treetown so you can learn to live in the fellowship of the dinosaurs. However, I don't think that now's a good time to go because it's the middle of the rainy season there." Croco raised his hand to object.  
  
"But isn't the Rainy Basin a jungle?" he asked. "And in the outside world, jungle is another word for rainforest, where it rains constantly and..."  
  
"...And it looks like you got a letter, m'lad." It was Robert and he was holding a letter for Croco. He walked over and handed to him. It was a short one and Croco started to read it to himself:  
  
  
Dear Croco,  
  
Cassie tells me that you are finally ready to go to Treetown! I am so proud of you Croco, you don't know how much this means to me. It seems like ages since Kaala found you on the shore, all cut up and almost to the point of death, but to see you come so far brings me joy that words cannot explain. I wish you luck in your journey.  
When you get there, I know you will wonder where the buildings are. I have been to Treetown before and it is a most extraordinary village. The whole village is in the canopy of the great forest there...all the houses, all the buildings save a few sauropod barns, everything is in the trees. I just hope you are not afraid of high places, but seeing as how you want to become a Skybax rider, I know you are not. Just don't try to sneak out and make tyrannosaur growls while spinning baskets...I heard someone did that a few years back and they got banished from Treetown. It was during a highly sensitive time and they were just coming off an attack by a lone tyrannosaur, but I will warn you only once. You should enjoy meeting people your age and I hear your great with the dinosaurs, so it should be a walk in the park.  
As I wrap this up, I want to tell you that I love you like the son I never had. Remember this...I will be waiting right here for the day where I will see you fly.  
  
Breathe Deep, Seek Peace  
Nobella  
  
  
Croco was surprised to find out that Nobby knew that he was ready to make the trip and asked Cassie how she told her. She explained to him that she sent a message to her via a Dimorphodon messenger. Croco knew about the dimorphodons and wasn't surprised one bit at the fact that they can "speak" like a parrot and fly great lengths while still remembering what its message rider told it. Just then, they stepped outside where a Skybax rider was waiting for them. He bent down to address Cassie.  
  
"Castra," he said, "they're waiting for you and Bix over at the sauropod barn. We are ready." Cassie bellowed in excitement as she knew that the brachiosaurus that they were preparing for their journey through the Rainy Basin was ready. She had Croco go back in and say goodbye to everyone that he had gotten to know over the past year and a half. When that was finished a couple hours later, they made their way over to where they were preparing the sauropod that would take them through the foreboding Rainy Basin. 


	22. Chapter 21 First Encounter and Escape

Chapter 21  
  
  
(~I am a Tyrannosaurus~)  
  
  
Croco, Cassie and Bix followed the rider to a clearing just outside the main city where they were preparing the convoy. Everywhere they turned, there were people scrambling to fasten armored plates to the sides of an Apatosaurus and the brachiosaur the rider told them about. There was a group of about seven styracosauruses pacing about the area anxiously, waiting for everyone to complete their tasks. Croco went over to an area where they were filling baskets with a rather strong-smelling meat.  
  
"Excuse me, but might I ask what that is you're putting into those baskets?" he asked a man who was filling them. He didn't look up from what he was doing, but Bix happened to be within earshot and walked up to where Croco was standing.  
  
"That is the fish and eel that we are taking in case a Tyrannosaurus rex decides to come up to us," she explained. This would be the first time that Croco would see a live tyrannosaur in his life and he was really nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time as it was one of his favorite dinosaurs. Pretty soon, a lot of people had shown up as they had caught word of the departure for the northern settlements. Croco and Cassie boarded the brachiosaur while Bix hopped on the back of the apatosaur, which happened to be a good friend of hers named Koro. The styracosaurs got into position and they soon made their way over the great vertabral bridge that led into the Rainy Basin.  
  
Both of the sauropods were strapped down with hundreds of pounds of armor and fish as well as the weight of their passengers, and that kept them to a shuffle while they proceeded down the path and by the den that Croco had stayed in before his introduction to Waterfall City. They kept this up for several hours while traveling through the muggy jungle. Suddenly, one of the styracosaurs bellowed loudly while Koro and the brachiosaur, named Rylo Kalona, whipped their tails around to sweep the ground, their passengers holding on for dear life. A deafening rumble could be heard, first it was very subtle, then picked up as the creature that was making it got closer and closer. The horned beasts got into position around the sauropod caravans, showing a spectacular display of horns.  
  
Then to the surprise of many, a tyrannosaurus broke through the foliage, growling meanacingly at them. With Rylo being in the front, it was up to Cassie to calm the hungry carnosaur down.  
  
"Stay here. Be ready to cut loose the baskets when I whistle," she told Croco. Then to his horror, she leaped down onto the back of one of the escorts.  
  
~Hey!~ she shouted at the tyrannosaur. It turned and clashed its teeth at her. ~What is your business harrassing a helpless convoy of sauropods?~  
  
~Food,~ it growled at her, ~where's the food? My family's so hungry that they can pick one of your sauropods clean to the bone.~ Another tyrannosaur came into view much to the horror of some of the human passengers.  
  
~Well we've got some food here, but you're not gonna get our goodies unless you agree to something,~ Cassie told them. The other tyrannosaur approached the convoy.  
  
~And just what might that be?~ it asked.  
  
~There's another group of sauropods coming through at about this time tomorrow, and they'll have humans too. You promise to leave them alone and you'll get the goodie baskets we've got here. Sound good?~ The smaller tyrannosaur, a female, agreed but her mate had other ideas.  
  
~I've got an idea...~ he said with an evil glint, ~...we could make a meal out of the protoceratops!~ That made the female upset and she snapped at him. Cassie whistled and at once, Croco and the young man aboard Koro starting cutting away at the ropes with long knives as the tyrannosaurs argued. The baskets fell earthward and broke open with a loud thud. Forgetting about their differences, they stormed the baskets containing the delicious fish and ate happily while the convoy, with Cassie back on board Rylo, moved away from the scene as more tyrannosaurs and an ambitious Utahraptor converged on the fish. The smaller raptor got ran off while the tyrannosaurs gorged themselves until all that was left were the baskets.  
  
As soon as Cassie got resituated, she was expecting a lot of questions from Croco. Sure enough, he came at her.  
  
"What...got into you to confront that tyrannosaur like that?!?" he said, impressed by the excellent job she did.  
  
"You liked it, didn'tcha?" she said with a touch of swagger, "Well for lack of better words to use around a dolphinback, you have to have some pretty big eggs to stand up to a rex like that." Croco laughed at her comment, then asked her what she said.  
  
"Basically what I told her was that we'd give them the snack baskets if they promised to leave another group of sauropods coming through here tomorrow alone," she said. "Then the big one said he wanted to make a meal outta me and she wasn't too happy." As day slowly turned into night, they continued to talk about the incident and about Treetown, which was one of Cassie's favorite places on the whole island. She told him about the village in the trees, which is in an old oak forest, and she told him about Melanie, the Treetown matriarch. Croco listened intently, but then slowly drifted off to sleep under a full moon. 


	23. Chapter 22 The Second Rescue

Chapter 22  
  
  
Another day had passed since the close encounter with the tyrannosaurs and Croco was getting kind of antsy riding with Cassie and the others aboard Rylo. He kept expressing his displeasure at the slow rate they were traveling at and wanted more than ever to arrive at Treetown. And all the while Cassie was trying to calm him down, telling him that the sauropods move real slowly due to their enormous size. That did little to quell his impatience and Croco started to get real jumpy.  
  
"Calm down...it's gonna take us another few days not counting the climb through the Backbone Mountains," Cassie told him. Croco didn't want to wait that long, but whispered in Cassie's ear, "If it'll get me into a Skybax rider's uniform, I'll go to any lengths." That impressed her and Croco was contempt to take in the scenery of the Rainy Basin.  
  
But just as he said that, he heard an anguished cry over the soft rumble of Koro and Rylo's thunderous footsteps. Croco stood up in the basket he was in, then moved into one of the side baskets. Cassie didn't like this one bit and bellowed at him to climb back on. But Croco insisted and when saw what it was, his heart sank instantly. It was a young tyrannosaur hatchling, no more than three months old and severly injured. It had numerous cuts and had lost a lot of blood. He couldn't take it anymore and prepared to jump.  
  
"Cassie...tell Rylo to stop while I pick up another passenger," he ordered. Cassie pleaded with him not to go but it was too late. Croco had already jumped down and landed pretty hard, falling forward and doing a somersault. He was able to use the momentum to land on his feet in a slow jog over to where the young carnosaur was crying in pain. Croco ordered another young man down from his ride to help get him into the basket aboard Rylo while Cassie was already rummaging through another basket filled with supplies.  
  
They took the hatchling and while a woman was looking him over, Cassie and Croco comforted it with gentle cooing and purring while they stroked its neck and back soothingly. The youngster, which Cassie discovered was a male, fell asleep while all of this was happening. Croco decided to name the tyrannosaur hatchling Littletooth...like Littlefoot from the Land Before Time series that he wasn't too interested in when it came out when he was 11. He helped the woman, who was trained in first aid on both humans and saurians, set Littletooth's leg which had been broken. Now all that was left was to get him to somewhere that could keep him while he healed.  
  
"Where's the next settlement?" Croco asked. The woman, whose name was Elizabeth Robinwood, told him about a village called Bogpeat Marsh which wasn't too far off the main trail after it intersected with another trail that ran through the Basin. But according to Elizabeth, it was still about a half-day's travel from where they were. Croco put his arm around Littletooth's neck and kept reassuring him that help was on the way. He purred rather loudly while the young man was gently caressing his neck and back. But Cassie, who was adamently against bringing the young tyrannosaur aboard in the first, didn't want to make another stop and openly questioned his judgement.  
  
"Croco, are you nuts or something?" she asked. Croco was surprised that she would challenge his decision in picking up Littletooth.  
  
"I'm not nuts," he replied, "it's just that I care if this creature lives or not. While you were probably wishing well for him, I was risking my life doing something to save him."  
  
"But Croco...he's a tyrannosaur and..." That touched a nerve in Croco and he stood up over the protoceratops.  
  
"He's a hatchling!" he shouted, "I don't care if it was a Gigantosaurus I kept hearing about in Waterfall City...he's just a baby and he's hurt! Don't you even care Cassie?!?" Cassie was shocked by his rebellious attitude.  
  
"I know he's just a hatchling," Cassie said, "but he's a tyrannosaurus. They're nothing but uncivilized monsters who can't see past their next meal."  
  
"I'm very disappointed in you Cassie," Croco said as he tried to think of a quote, "Someone back in Waterfall city told me that tyrannosaurs are not the evil monsters you think they are. Only hungry by nature with no love for society, and no stomach for green food. You know who said that to me?" Cassie shook her head. "Ask your mother Bix when we get to Treetown...she'll tell you right away. Just because they are uncivilized doesn't mean they're the monsters you think they are. And besides, it's the Dinotopian thing to do." With that, Cassie remained silent while they reached the junction. Then Croco asked where Bogpeat Marsh was, and Elizabeth had Rylo stop.  
  
She led Croco and Littletooth about a mile into the unforgiving jungle before they reached a clearing and the village of Bogpeat Marsh. Croco was amazed by how well the small huts were built and there was even a large wooden building in the center of town. He looked at the sign, which read 'Red Raptor Inn: A Fine Place to Eat in the Basin.' Just then, Elizabeth caught up with him and led him back toward the main trail, but he made sure to say goodbye to Littletooth before he left.  
  
It took them another five days to get through the Basin, with many river crossings and hard to navigate lands before they got to the area where they were to disembark. Croco, Cassie, Bix and and Elizabeth all got off their mounts and were happily chatting away during the climb through the Backbone Mountains. During this time, Croco had learned that Elizabeth was a physician from a town to the north of Treetown called Cornucopia. He also learned that it was the home of the annual Dinosaur Olympics held every September and that she also had a daughter that was staying in Treetown as well. A little more than three hours later they finally came across an old wooden sign that ended their incredible journey through the jungle: Welcome to Treetown. 


	24. Chapter 23 Treetown

Chapter 23  
  
  
When Croco first laid his eyes on the unusual settlement, he couldn't help but to be amazed by the sheer ingenuity of the "town." It was just like Nobby had said in her letter...all the buildings were in the canopy of the huge oak forest that enveloped the area and the trees were connected by an intricate bridge system. A couple of young men about Croco's age came over to greet them while Bix and Cassie ran off to where a family of brachiosaurs were conversing. They were from Chandara and led him up one of the trees so they could show him how to tend to the ropes that held everything in place. Just then, an old woman joined them and the two boys ran off leaving Croco to mend the ropes by himself. She tried to call them back but they were already down the tree and running off to where an Orinthomimus was waiting.  
  
"I don't know what I'm going to do about them," she muttered to herself. Then she turned to Croco. "You must be Croco Hallaway. It's a delight to meet you...I am Melanie, the matriarch of Treetown. You're going to have to get used to Darren and Carlos...they're always running off when I try to talk to them."  
  
"A pleasure to meet you Melanie," Croco said as he shook her hand. Knowing of his long journey from Waterfall City, Melanie offered him some millet cakes with fresh berries and juice. He took them gratefully and consumed them in a rather quick manner, as he wanted to go explore his new surroundings. No sooner had Croco climbed down from the tree did he run into a girl that caught his eye. She was somewhat shorter and appeared to be several years younger than him. Her eyes were as blue as the sea and her black hair was tied up in a ponytail. She was somewhat darker than him but when she smiled at Croco, that did him in. As she strolled off to join her friends, Croco took off behind her in pursuit. She turned to see him coming and paused where she was.  
  
"You must be the new dolphinback my friends told me about," she said, blushing. Croco was a little nervous  
  
"Yep, that I am," Croco said. "The name's Croco Hallaway and I just got here from Waterfall City."  
  
"Croco Hallaway, huh? I'm Nalina Santos from a place called Kuskonak and I am eight mothers Portugese."  
  
"Nalina...such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he said. Nalina started to giggle and Croco knew that his charm was still there. He had learned that she was only sixteen summers old and had been in Treetown for only a couple months herself. Then he asked Nalina about Kuskonak. She explained to him that it was a small fishing town on the eastern coast almost exactly halfway between Chandara and the northeastern city of Prosperine. But Croco was leaning up against a tree, half asleep and not paying any attention. So Nalina went to look for Melanie and soon they were at his side.  
  
They woke him up rather easily and Melanie led him up one of the boys' trees. They stopped when they got to a basket that was hanging out a couple feet over the edge and about fifty feet off the ground.  
  
"What is this...if I can ask?" Croco asked. Melanie smiled and put a hand on the young man's shoulder.  
  
"That would be your bed Mr. Hallaway," she told him. He looked down at the ground below them and put his hands upon his hips.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me," he said. She reassured him that it was no joke and had Croco climb into it and he was only slightly impressed, but that was enough to convince Melanie that he liked it.  
  
"From what I hear, you should be quite at home at these heights," she chided as they looked to see the sun very low in the sky. Melanie scrambled back down the ladder while telling Nalina to come, but not before saying good-night to Croco. He was wondering why she was in such a hurry to leave.  
  
"When the sun goes down, Melanie rings a bell telling all to come back and get ready to go to bed," Nalina explained. "It won't be until it's dark, but once it rings and you're not back, you're definitely gonna hear it from Melanie the next morning." She giggled as she parted way with Croco. But deep inside, he wanted to be closer to Nalina...she reminded him too much of a girl he knew and had a crush on back in New York. He drifted off to sleep well before the bell rang, exhausted from the journey, the chores and the exploring he did that day.  
  
The next morning, Croco awoke to his basket being shaken. Terrified, he braced himself but didn't scream or yell. He looked over to see the two boys that he met yesterday laughing hysterically. Angered, Croco jumped out of the basket to attack them but after he saw who it was, he held back.  
  
"Could one of you guys tell me whose bright idea it was to scare the living daylights outta me?!?" he demanded. The shorter boy, about fourteen, was shivering in fright while his fair-skinned companion, who had to be about sixteen or seventeen, stood up to Croco.  
  
"Welcome to Treetown!" he said with a smile, "That was just our little initiation to life in the trees for you, dolphinback. I see you took it rather well." Croco eased up and sat down between them.  
  
"Do me a favor and never do that again...it reminds me too much of what happened to me while my plane was going down in the sea almost two years ago. By the way, I'm Croco." The boys introduced themselves and Darren McMillan and Carlos Rodriguez, both sons of dolphinbacks. They raced down the trees for breakfast, with Darren and Carlos taking the ladders while Croco swung down from a rope and was caught by a passing brachiosaur.  
  
Croco was starting to settle in nicely with the citizens of Treetown. He was vigilant in his daily tasks and always found time to either hang out with either Darren, Carlos, Nalina, or even Cassie, or to go swimming in the refreshing waters of Deep Lake. One day as he was about to go for a mid-afternoon swim, a young man gave him a harness-like thing and told him to put it on his shoulders. Croco asked him what it was for.  
  
"What, you've never heard of skyhopping?" he asked. Croco shook his head. "Are you crazy?!? It's quite a thrill!" Being the thrill seeker he was, Croco put the device on like he was shown, then he approached the brachiosaur that was standing in the water and waited as he was told. Without warning, the brachiosaur grabbed the loop in its mouth and hurled Croco through the air some one hundred feet before he dove into the water. When he got back to where the young man was waiting, he was grinning ear to ear and wanting to do it again. Four more times he was flung by the brachiosaur before he decided to call it quits and head back to look for Nalina. But only after a week in Treetown, it became perfectly clear that Croco had found his utopia...where he could interact with humans right around his age and the dinosaurs which he had grown rather fond of as well. 


	25. Chapter 24 Nalina

Chapter 24  
  
  
Croco had just awoke one morning when he saw Nalina standing outside his basket. He was reading a scroll that he had picked up from Kado just before he left Waterfall City. She came in, landing right on top of him causing him to let out an angusihed groan. Nalina giggled as she looked over the scroll at him.  
  
"Whatcha readin'?" she asked playfully. Croco peered up to see her.  
  
"Oh, it's just something I picked up in Waterfall City," Croco told her. "It's a scroll about pterosaurs that Kado the librarian gave to me. We became real good friends over the months." Nalina moved the scroll aside so she could look deeply into his green eyes. Even though she was only sixteen and he was twenty-one, Nalina wanted Croco in the worst kind of way. And Croco had a bit of a crush on her too, as he was always sneaking up on her and wrapping her up in his arms or splashing and sneaking up from below the surface when they were swimming in the lake.  
  
And Melanie was observing this as well from her perch in the main trees as well. She always made sure to ask one about the other when they were at ground level. Most of the time they were pretty straightforward, as they liked her dearly. But once, Croco altered a story where they were caught giving each other a quick kiss, and much to his surprise, Melanie bought into it. As much as he didn't like to lie, he felt that he had to in order to be able to see Nalina again.  
  
As the weeks went by, Croco and Nalina grew closer and closer to each other, and it became apparent they were in love with each other. Melanie knew this and called them into the central tree one morning after breakfast. Croco braced himself for a scolding but the smile on her face quickly reassured him that he did nothing wrong.  
  
"I see you two were made for each other despite your difference in years." she said warmly. Nalina giggled while Croco stood and scratched his head in thought. Somehow he had a feeling that it wasn't going to work out between them.  
  
"I don't know if were exactly made for each other," he said. Nalina and Melanie wanted to know why. "Well...when two people meet and they start to like each other a lot, they tend to think that they were made for each other. Then reality hits them when one goes off and leaves the other behind." They all thought hard about what Croco had just said.  
  
"Please don't tell me this is a premonition," Nalina said, shaking him as hard as she could. Melanie tried to calm her down but it didn't help. Croco broke away and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"It's okay Nalina," he said and started to coo, "Don't worry about the future yet, instead just have fun today while you can. You're only young once and when you get older, you're gonna wish you had these years back." This reassured her greatly and Melanie dismissed them to their morning activities, but not before she pulled Croco aside.  
  
"You're wise beyond your years Mr. Hallaway," she said. "Whatever you choose to go into after the Games you will change the way it has been done." Croco smiled as she was saying this, knowing that she saw good things in him.  
  
"Thank you Melanie," he said, "but there's only one thing I want to do, and that is to fly again." He was emphatic in this statement and Melanie laughed, seeing great joy in his youthful energy.  
  
"Well save your enthusiasm for when you get to Canyon City. This is good practice for you if you want to be a Skybax rider as you're going to have to get used to high places. Think living only two necks off the ground is really high, you should try it from about one hundred and fifty." Croco asked what a neck was and Melanie told him that it was the primary unit of length used on Dinotopia and that one neck equaled forty feet. "We're at 130 necks," she explained, "and your mile is 5,280 feet. So that..." Croco understood and pleaded to get back to his chores. Melanie dismissed him, but not before giving him more words of encouragement. She had become a big influence in Croco's life and he thanked her for it. As he got down, he could feel the effects of the altitude for the first time. 'No wonder I'm always so outta breath,' he thought as he scrambled toward another one of the main trees.  
  
After dinner, Croco headed back to the lake for a swim, but not without Nalina trailing too far behind. She had been wondering where he was all day and he told her that he had a few extra chores to do and decided to hang out with couple of his other friends as well. Nalina understood as they slinked into the water and they didn't come back out until almost sunset. When they were finished, Nalina took Croco's hand and led him not back to the trees, but to a little clearing in a field some ways from the main trees. Croco was a little uneasy about this.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked nervously. Nalina smiled as they sat down on the ground, which was still damp from a brief shower earlier that day.  
  
"I've heard some of the older girls talking about what it would be like to mate for the first time," she said. "Some have done it, and I was wondering what it would be like." Croco was in shock that she wanted to do this with him.  
  
"Are you kidding?!? If Melanie finds out, she's gonna have our necks!" he said loudly.  
  
"C'mon Croco," she said sweetly, "it's not like anybody's gonna find out." Just as she grabbed Croco to kiss him deeply, the evening bell rang. Croco pulled her off of him and stood up.  
  
"That's the bell! We gotta get going!" he said as he started back towards the trees, but Nalina blocked him and took off his shirt while nipping at his neck.  
  
"We're not going anywhere," she said as she let a hand run downward from his chest. "Besides, all Melanie's gonna do is give us a warning not to do it again." Croco knew she was determined and decided not to resist anymore, even if it meant getting into trouble. But Nalina knew that he would like it, and sure enough he did.  
  
About an hour later, they snuck back into the main cluster of trees and said a quick goodnight to each other, with Nalina going one way and Croco going the other. Taking care as to not get noticed, he tiptoed stealthily back up to his basket and was in bed before anyone had even noticed he was gone. His dreams that night were of a Skybax that could carry two riders side-by-side, one being him and the other being Nalina. However at sunrise, Croco heard a loud banging on the rail next to his basket. Thinking nothing of it, he ignored it and went back to bed. Then he felt his basket being shook, and that finally woke him up in an angered state.  
  
"Darren! I thought I told you..." he shouted as he looked up to see Melanie standing with her hands on her hips with a wooden spoon hanging out of one. She had a cross look on her face as she addressed Croco.  
  
"I heard about what happened between you and Nalina last night," she said sternly, "and I shall see to that it doesn't happen again. Any mating behavior is strictly forbidden between young folk in Treetown."  
  
"But Melanie," he begged, "it was her idea to begin with!" Melanie folded her arms, uninterested in hearing Croco's case.  
  
"It doesn't matter whose idea it was, the fact that you did it to begin with deserves discipline. So tonight you will start sleeping with the dinosaurs every night for the next week. Now get going to breakfast young man." Croco's heart sank when he heard his punishment. But he thought that it would in a way remind him of his nights sleeping with Nobby in his first weeks on the island. Still, he felt as if he let everyone down and hung his head in guilt as he made his way over to the dining tree for breakfast. 


	26. Chapter 25 Sleeping With Giants

Chapter 25  
  
  
Croco went on about the day as he usually did, doing his tasks and swimming in the lake when he completed them. But he felt rather uneasy through the day knowing he had to sleep in the dinosaur barns for the next week. Fortunately Melanie knew this and had made up her mind to send Cassie with him, although she wasn't sure if it was a good idea. She also banished Nalina to the barns and paired her with Bix, who agreed to stay for at least the next week.  
  
When the curfew bell rang, Croco was at his basket gathering up the things he needed to go to sleep with. One of the senior supervisors came up and reminded him that Cassie was waiting for him and offered to take some of the possessions that he had with him down to the barn he was assigned to. They made their way to the barn and the supervisor opened the doors where a group of brachiosaurs were waiting.  
  
"This is where you two will be sleeping," he told them, "I'll knock on the door when it is time for breakfast...that is if the dinosaurs don't wake you guys first. Good night!" Cassie led Croco to a nest-bed very similar to the one in the guest room of Brock and Mira's house and he plopped into it. He was surprised at how comfortable it was as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. But Croco wasn't able to sleep much between the shuffling of feet, the whistling the saurs made while they slept and a muffled crunching sound he wasn't familiar with. He got down and gently pulled Cassie's tail.  
  
"Cassie," he whispered, "what is that crunching sound I keep hearing? Sounds like a bunch of rocks or something." She turned to face Croco, still half asleep.  
  
"The rocks are used by them to help grind their food," she told him, "kind of like how a bird has small pebbles in its gizzard. Now can you at least try to get some sleep? I know it hard but at least try." Croco closed his eyes and rolled over, but no sooner did he close them they reopened to see a giant head about a foot over his bed. He yelped at the sight of it and the brachiosaur quickly rasied up to the rafters. Cassie heard that and jumped into the bed to comfort him.  
  
"It's OK Croco!" she said, "Lyian won't hurt you...she's just a little curious and wanted to see you." Cassie wrapped her tail around him and called Lyian back down to their level. She lowered her head to right about where she had it and looked the young man over. At Cassie's suggestion, she had Croco touch her face and he was surprised by how smooth her scaly skin was. Never in his wildest imagination did Croco think that a creature so large could be that gentle and reassured by this discovery, he drifted off to sleep and didn't awake until the morning.  
  
Still, Croco only got a little more than five hours of sleep that night and was still a little groggy as he made his way to the breakfast tree. When he got there, Darren was waiting for him.  
  
"So how was it in the barn?" Darren asked. Croco put his head on the table and his arms over it.  
  
"It was a nightmare," he said, "It was noisy, it was cramped.....it smelled real bad. If Cassie wasn't there, I would've gotten no sleep at all." He paused to take a bite out of the piece of bread in front of him. "I wonder how Nalina spent the night." Darren perked up when he said that.  
  
"From what I hear, she didn't take it too well," he told him, "Even though she had the other protoceratops with her, she didn't get much sleep." Croco was surprised by this and went over to where he thought he saw Nalina, but it turned out to be one of the other girls. Still, he managed to ask her about Nalina, but she hadn't seen her yet. So he waited patiently while he finished his breakfast hoping Nalina would come. When she didn't show, Croco rushed down to ground level to begin a search for her. He looked everywhere until he came to the very spot where they had made love two nights earlier. There he saw Nalina sitting on a large rock, but when she spotted him, she rushed from the area.  
  
"Nalina, wait!" he shouted while giving chase. Nalina turned around with a fiery look in her eyes as if Croco had done something wrong.  
  
"Well," she said simply, "I hope it was worth it. I hope it was worth getting us in trouble." Croco stood in disbelief.  
  
"Worth it?!? You know it was your idea...I tried to pull away but you wouldn't let me. Besides, sleeping in the dinosaur barns isn't that bad once you get used to it." That didn't reassure Nalina one bit.  
  
"Of course not for you!" she screamed, "I heard about you sleeping in the barn with that triceratops when you first came here! You...you're perfectly used to it, but that was the first time ever for me. Not even Bix could help me get to sleep...I hope it was worth it!" She stormed off back to the trees much to the dismay of Croco, and she ignored every bit of reasoning he tried to give her.  
  
"Damn it!!!" he blurted instinctively, his outside world anger getting the best of him. Croco sat down and buried his head in his hands and started to cry. Never in his life had he ever experienced the kind of feelings he had for Nalina with another girl, even the last girl he loved in the outside world named Samantha. Croco thought it was over and when he went back to the trees, he refused all consolation brought upon him, even from Bix. So he went to the top of the tallest tree and looked straight down.  
  
"I hope this'll make this dream go away," he said, "I hope I wake up back in my bed back in New York, ready to start a new day...ready to see Samantha, the one true love of my life." Just as he was about to jump, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the hand of Melanie he felt, which snapped him back to reality.  
  
"What's bothering you, young man?" she asked. A tear came down Croco's face as Melanie led him down from the ledge and back to her quarters. He told her about the episode with Nalina and how it really messed him up earlier, and Melanie listened intentively with an arm around his shoulder.  
  
"It's okay Croco," she said, "I know all about being in love and I was in a position like this. I had snuck away from my basket once to mate with this boy I really liked. Well, my Grandma Norah found out and sent me back to my parents in Waterfall City. I love this place still today, which is why she made me the matriarch before she died some twenty-five years ago." A pause. "But I've been in love with this man for well over a hundred years and I still have regrets about that night." Melanie pulled him in closer.  
  
"Do you know what cumspiritik is Croco?" He shook his head. "Well...the word itself means 'breathing together.' You and Nalina are always together..."  
  
"So what you're trying to say is that we should get married?" Croco asked. This left Melanie at a loss of words.  
  
"If you think that you two will be together for the rest of your day, yes." Croco sadly told her that it would never work out because of his ambitions of becoming a Skybax rider. They looked out and saw that it was getting darker, so he made his way down to ground level.  
  
"You still got six more nights with the dinosaurs, including tonight," Melanie reminded him. Croco went over to his barn to find Cassie engaged in a conversation with a Ceratosaurus, a predatory species related to the tyrannosaurus but not as big.  
  
"Ready for bed?" Cassie asked.  
  
"I sure am," was the reply she got from Croco and she wished her friend well as they parted ways. He fell asleep rather easily, but when he awoke the sun was starting to peek through the treetops. Croco had come full circle and the remaining nights he spent in the barn weren't so bad. But the time came where he had to return to his basket high in the leafy canopy of the great oak forest. The first night back in the basket, Croco swore he could still hear the shuffling of feet, the wheezing and whistling of the dinosaurs, and the soft crunching of the rocks in their bellies. It proved to be a great reality check for him and he had a renewed sense of being from it as he continued to make friends, both human and reptilian. 


	27. Chapter 26 Arrival of the Games

Chapter 26  
  
  
The next few months flew by and Croco had experienced a total change in him. As before he only spent time with Darren, Carlos, Nalina, Cassie and Bix, he was now meeting a lot of people and saurians that he never knew before. He was even more vigilant in his chores around the settlement and had developed a small following of boys. One day as he was describing some of the events that were going on around the outside world right before his arrival, he caught sight of a large utahraptor.  
  
Croco had met a couple of them in Treetown, but he had a feeling that he had seen this one before. It was a large female that was about a full two feet taller than him and had a crest of blue-green feathers running down the back. She was a dark red color with gold stripes running vertically down her sides and on her left side, there was a scar that appeared to have come from the sickle-like claws of a another raptor. Croco hesitated, but finally approached her.  
  
"Excuse me," he said, "but you looked kinda familiar to me and was wondering if we'd met before. My name is Croco Hallaway and..." She lowered her head so that she was at eye level with him.  
  
"You sure have a familiar scent and a familiar name to me," she told him in human. "Does the name Minstelae ring a bell?" Croco thought about it.  
  
"The name sounds familiar to me...my friend Kaala has a deinonychus who introduced my to a..." Before Croco could finish the raptor pounced on him, taking great care not to crush him or accidently cut him with her toe-claws.  
  
"That would be me...my name is Minstelae and it's great to see you again Croco." Minstelae stood over him and lowered her head. "I remember that day in the Basin...I heard your friends Riojay and Na'leea fighting a pack of about ten velociraptors and even when the other deinys joined in, there were only about six of them so I ran them off and that's when Riojay introduced me to you." Croco and Minstelae seperated themselves from the rest of the group so they could get better acquainted with each other. He found out that she was actually a wild resident of the Rainy Basin who frequented the cities and towns...sometimes sending people and saurs running for cover, but she was well accepted. Croco told her about the adventures he had been through on the island, starting in Neopylos, then Sauropolis, Waterfall City, the trip through the Basin and then Treetown. When it was all over, he had a new friend in the fearsome yet friendly raptor Minstelae.  
  
One day as he was getting ready to head to dinner, a Skybax rider approached him with a letter. This one, however, was written in the Chandaran Alphabet that Mira had taught him before he started his studies in Waterfall City. Knowing it was probably a human who wrote this, Croco raced back to the privacy of his sleeping basket to read the letter:  
  
  
Dear Croco,  
  
How are you doing? Mom tells me that you're having a lot of fun in Treetown. Maybe when I get older I can stay there and do all the fun stuff you've written about. Rio wanted me to ask you if you've met any predatory saurians in Treetown. If you did, we'd like to know about them!  
I can't wait for the Dinosaur Olympics in a couple weeks. I am really looking forward to watching you in the Ring Races and we hope that you win. It's my favorite event. The object is to catch these rings above the track with a pole while riding on the back of a dinosaur called a Deinocheirus. Knowing you, the other riders don't stand a chance! I'm looking forward to watching you and your partner win...Mom, Dad and Nobby are gonna come and cheer you on as well as me and Rio, so look for us! I can't wait to see you again Croco...it's been a long time but we will soon. Breathe deep, seek peace!  
  
Love,  
Kaala  
  
  
"Aww...how sweet," Croco said as he peered over to see Darren standing by his basket. He had a rather intent look on his face.  
  
"Croco!" he said excitedly, "we're gonna start preparing for the races tomorrow! Aren'tcha the least bit excited!" A smile came across Croco's face as he lumbered out of his basket.  
  
"Yes I am...very excited," he said, "If it's anything like what Kaala said it was in the letter, it's gonna be a blast!" He then coaxed Darren into racing him to the dinner tree, but Croco knew that he had to face being like his fallen brother, something that he had been trying to rid himself of since he landed on Dinotopia.  
  
The next day, all the young people were gathered into one of the main gathering trees by Melanie to announce the pairings for the Ring Races. The pairings were done on account of the geographic locations of the individuals, as the island was divided into four quadrants: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. Since he originally came from Neopylos, Croco was to represent the South Coast sector of the Southwest sector and was paired with a girl named Sabrine, who was three mothers French and also from Neopylos. They knew each other indirectly through Nalina, but had never really met face-to-face until that point. After all the pairings were made, they were led to the track in Cornucopia to meet their Deinocherius.  
  
The one Croco and Sabrine got was a male named Swifty. At first glance, Croco didn't know what to think of him. He was a tall, bright colored saur with skin that was rather loose on him long claws on each front limb. He pranced about the holding area with the arrogance that a camel would envy. The blonde-haired Sabrine was the first to approach him, then she had Croco come over. He was a little hesistant but Swifty allowed him to approach.  
  
"Don't worry," she said, "it's not like he's gonna bite or anything. I'm real good with dinosaurs and that should help us in the race." Croco asked Sabrine how that would help them. She told him that she had to guide Swifty around the track by using touch signals while he tried to grab the rings. After a few days of practice, the three were like a well-oiled machine and looked to be tough to beat. 


	28. Chapter 27 The Big Race

Chapter 27  
  
  
The start of the Dinosaur Olympics came around and people and saurians from all corners of Dinotopia were there to watch. Croco and Sabrine would be going out on the third day of the Games and they would watch Nalina go out on the first official day of competition. And like she said in the letter, Kaala was there with Brock, Mira, Nobby and Riojay. Also there was Timbo and Robert from Waterfall City, and so was Bix. Cassie was right there by their sides as they watched the first race. The opening ceremonies for the event seemed to drag on forever, and Darren happened to be standing next them so Croco nudged his shoulder.  
  
"With all these ceremonies and stuff, it's beginning to remind me of when my brother made the Daytona 500 a few years ago," Croco said to him. Darren remembered all that Croco had told him about Johnny and the races, and although he didn't finish the race he was still proud of him. Then Darren reminded him of the objective.  
  
"You and Sabrine are going for the solid red rings," he told him. "Me and my partner are gonna be trying to collect the blue rings tomorrow." Croco told him that he and Sabrine would be cheering them on as a long trumpet note silenced the masses. A long period of silence followed and the deinocheiruses stood anxiously at the starting line. Then a cymbal crash sent them on their way as a dimorphodon circled the track just ahead of them to set the pace. Croco and Darren were screaming and cheering as the racers thundered around the track.  
  
"C'mon Nalina!" Croco shouted as he caught a glimpse of her and her partner Wendell spearing a ring. The frenzied crowd cheered along with them as they circled the track several times before another cymbal crash ended the race. Nalina and Wendell had gotten four of the coveted rings, but it wasn't enough to win as the team representing the Northwest quadrant had one more than them. When they had gotten back to the holding area, a dejected Nalina fell into Croco's arms.  
  
"We had it," she said sadly, "we were that close from winning." Croco put an arm around Nalina and offered her a little consolation, but then told her that she did an excellent job out there and she flashed him a smile as bright as the morning sun.  
  
The next day saw Darren and his partner Lyelah, the daughter of a dolphinback who was from Chandara like Darren, run in the race. After another round of dancing and pompous celebration, the echo of the cymbal was heard and the race was on. Darren and Lyelah circled the track, grabbing rings on their first three successive passes. But then their mount pulled up with an apparent leg injury and they fell out of the race much to the disappointment of Darren. The only consolation that Croco could think of was that he didn't fall from the saddle Darren laughed it off and told him that he was looking forward to another year in Treetown, his third.  
  
As day slowly turned to night, a lot of emotions were running wild through Croco. He was excited, as he knew that he would be going out tomorrow. Croco was also nervous...he didn't want to disappoint all the people that had made the long journey to Cornucopia to watch him compete. Finally, Croco was scared. He knew that the races were dangerous...he saw a deinocheirus fall in warmups a couple days before the opening ceremonies. The young woman only had a few bruises but the boy that was standing on the saddle had broken his leg and had to be helped off on the back of a wagon. The anguish he saw on his face still lingered in Croco, but now that he knew he would be racing, the thought of injury disappeared completely as he fell asleep.  
  
Race day finally came and he was one of the first competitors to the holding area. A few minutes later, Sabrine showed up, wearing an identical red vest to Croco's bright red shirt. A couple more people came to assist them in preparing Swifty for the race. A special saddle was put on his back, with an area in the front for the person steering to sit and a platform for the person grabbing the rings to stand upon. It took them some time to prepare their mount, but they were ready for the parade before the race.  
  
Croco, Sabrine and Swifty came out to the cheers of many thousands of spectators. They waved to the crowd and Sabrine blew kisses to her parents in the stands. After many hours of ceremonies, their mounts were guided to the starting lines. The adrenaline was starting to get to both of them, but mostly Croco. A natural thrill-seeker, he was waiting for this moment ever since he found out that he would be running in the races. But he also had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. There was something about standing on top of a fifteen-foot tall dinosaur that could run as fast as a race horse that made him unsure of what he was getting into. But when the cymbal crashed and the dimorphodon was released, all feelings of nervousness was left at the line when Swifty took off.  
  
They started off four-wide, with Croco missing the first ring. Sabrine stroked the right side of Swifty's neck and he cut in front of another competitior. This time Croco scored his first ring and pretty soon, they were starting to show their strength. He and Sabrine were starting to sense victory after he grabbed his fourth ring and Croco was seeing his ambitions of starting Skybax training well within grasp when the unimaginable happened.  
  
Croco and Sabrine were jostling with a couple of the other riders when one deinocherius bumped into Swifty, causing him to stumble. The impact threw Croco off and he hit the track surface hard, rolling over to the outside wall. The spectators gasped when they saw him fly off of Swifty and roll to the side of the track, fearing the worst. When Croco finally came to a stop, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm and let out an anguished scream.  
  
"My arm!!!" he cried in obvious pain, clutching the injured arm, "I think it's broken!!!" When Sabrine came around, she had Swifty stop and jumped down from the saddle to rush to the aid of her fallen partner. Soon, medical personnel arrived to aid the injured Croco and they confirmed what he had feared: his left arm had been broken when he fell and with that, his dreams of going to Canyon City had been shattered for another year. He couldn't take it and started to cry as they loaded him into the wagon to be checked out at the hospital...not from the pain of his injuries, but from the pain of knowing that he would have to wait another full year before he could take flight again.  
  
He got to the Cornucopia hospital where the doctors looked at him. They wrapped the injured arm tightly and put him in a sling, telling him that he would have to remain in the sling for another six weeks. When he came out, Brock and Nobby were waiting for him.  
  
"I saw the fall you took out there," Brock said, putting an arm around Croco, "and you should be lucky that a busted arm is all you got out of it." Still that did nothing to console him.  
  
"I was that close," he sobbed, "That close from reaching my ultimate goal and it all just went away. Like having a bottle of water extended out to you in the desert, then the person holding the bottle smashes it on a rock. That's how I feel right now." Nobby put a horn in and held him close in her huge front legs.  
  
"I know Croco...I know," she said soothingly, "we all fall, sometimes very hard like in your instance. But are you going to accept defeat, or are you going to rise up and prove that you can still come through?" That seemed to be a wake-up call that Croco needed and he finally stopped crying and rode Nobby out of the hospital where Mira, Kaala and Riojay were waiting. Soon Timbo and Cassie had shown up, telling Croco that he and Sabrine did the best of all the teams out there. But that didn't satisfy Croco one bit...instead of getting up and riding the brach over to Canyon City, he knew that he would go to the breakfast tree just like he had done every morning for the past ten months and starting another year of life in the trees instead of a new life as a Skybax trainee. 


	29. Chapter 28 Introduction to Ringball

Chapter 28  
  
  
The next six weeks were the hardest weeks in Croco's life. Although he could still get up and down the trees with relative ease, he couldn't participate in a lot of the activities that the other young people were doing. He could swim in the lake with the sling, he couldn't swing from the ropes the way he always liked to and he couldn't play a native guitar that he picked up on about a month before the Games started. But the one thing Croco could do was hang out with his friends and play practical jokes, although Melanie frowned on that. Still, he managed to hold on and have much fun as he could while still in the sling.  
  
When his arm was finally healed, Croco was overjoyed because he knew that he could go back to being his regular self. But he had some other ideas for recreation in his mind. While he was still in the sling, he could still use his right arm, his throwing arm. Croco liked to throw a ball that he found through a metal ring which was propped up against one of the dinosaur barns. The ball, which was made from the skin of one of the mammals from the Forbidden Mountains, was slightly bigger than a softball and Croco could throw it pretty hard and it wouldn't break. Now that he was out of the sling, he climbed up into the tree that Darren and Carlos were in with the ball.  
  
"Hey guys," he said, "I've got an idea for a new game. Follow me." He led the two boys to the edge of a field, empty from the harvest. Croco pointed out the ring to them and asked them to try and throw the ball through the ring. They were able to from about forty feet, but when Croco tried it from sixty feet, Darren dove in front of the ring and knocked the ball away. Soon, other boys joined them and they all tried to get the ball by Darren and through the ring, which was four feet high and six feet wide. The amount of fun took Croco by surprise and he began scrounging for another ring. Much to his delight, he found two smaller rings attached to poles that were about six and a half feet long. Croco set them each three feet apart from the larger ring and after putting them in the ground, were about five and a half feet tall.  
  
The word got out and pretty soon most of the boys were trying their hand at this. Croco put an end to it and told them that they needed another set of rings to really make the game interesting. After about a week of trying, they finally got a set of rings identical to the first one. Croco had several boys help him and a couple brachiosaurs decided to help out with the efforts in putting up another wall exactly nine necks from the original set of rings. They were all happy with this and although it took them some time, they were able to put the second set of rings up identical to the first pair.  
  
Now that they knew the field was ready, Croco and Darren went about the difficult task of finding teams. Croco gathered up a lot of his friends that he knew were capable of playing the game well, while Darren rounded up a gang of boys he knew from his hometown of Chandara. When the teams were made up, Croco laid down the rules for the newly created sport: there would be nine players on each side, including one to defend the rings. Players are to only use their hands to touch the ball, and one must bounce the ball before they have taken ten steps in any direction. As far as contact went, one could push but not tackle or trip. After deciding on what rules to make, Croco and Darren took the rule scroll to one of the senior supervisors, and he decided that he would be the head official for the first ever ringball game.  
  
The following weeks saw Croco and Darren frantically preparing for the inaugural match. Between getting their respective teams ready and making their uniforms, that left little time for anything else. Melanie saw this and decided to pay Croco a visit while tending to one of the boys on his team.  
  
"Why are you working so hard just to play a game?" she asked. Croco smiled as she addressed him.  
  
"Because I want this to be a game that all will see and like," he told her. "I want this to be like the baseball or football of Dinotopia...the great pasttime of our land." Melanie sighed and asked him when the first match would take place. According to Croco, it would take place in a couple of weeks when he could train the officials in the rules, as several of the supervisors had volunteered to officiate. Days went by and word got out about the game in Treetown and some of the nearby villages and people wanted to see this new game.  
  
Croco and Darren had completed their uniforms two days before the match date. Croco's team, which was simply called Treetown, were to wear dark green jerseys with white lettering while Darren's Chandara team were wearing aqua jerseys with black lettering. The jerseys themselves were short-sleeved shirts that the boys made themselves with a little assistance from a couple of the girls, including Nalina and Sabrine. The respective ring defenders, called keepers, would be wearing different colored jerseys from their teammates, with the Treetown keeper wearing black with green lettering and the Chandara keeper wearing yellow with dark teal lettering. Tension between both sides grew as the day of the big game drew nearer and nearer and Croco could feel a sense of pride in him because this was his game that they would be playing the next day. 


	30. Chapter 29 The First Match

Chapter 29  
  
  
Morning came and Croco was fired up. It was like he was reliving the homcoming game of his senior year in high school as an all-county running back. Croco was the center for his team, called the "lead" and he took it upon himself to cover the whole field, which was four necks wide through the center and rounded off towards the rings at about one hundred feet away. These were the "attack zones" that most of the scoring would be done from. Just moments before the game was to start, Croco gathered his team in for a pep talk.  
  
"Guys," he said, "you are about to make history. People will look back on this a hundred years from now and remember that you participated in the first ever ringball match. Whether we win or not doesn't matter, it's that we're doing this together, although it would be cool to win." He went over some last minute strategies with his team before leading a pumped up Treetown team onto the field. At Croco's suggestion, they shook hands with the Chandara team before taking their positions. Just before the opening face-off, which was called a "roll ball," everyone took time out to remember those they loved the most. There were about a couple thousand spectators present, and the head official, called the Head Judge, rolled the ball along the center line to Croco and Darren, the leads for the two teams. They fought for possession and the first ever ringball match in history was underway.  
  
Chandara had won the roll ball and Darren led the charge into the Treetown end of the field. He looked for someone to pass the ball to and threw it over to a boy named Sam Donnelly, who lined up next to Darren as a "wing." Sam dumped it back to Yoshi Yamamoto, the grandson of a Japanese dolphinback who was playing the "flank" position.  
  
"Watch Yoshi!" Croco yelled, knowing that he could do as he please with the ball. Yoshi spotted Darren charging to the rings and threaded a perfect pass over to him. He made no mistake in putting the ball through the large middle ring, as the Treetown keeper was powerless to stop it. The goal judge extended his arm forward, signifying that he had scored in the middle ring.  
  
The score was three to zero in favor of the Chandarans as Kevin Keller, the keeper who had just been beaten, took the ball and got it forward to Michael Strauss, the "back" who was the primary defender in front of Keller. Croco came over and whispered something in his ear and when they broke, Michael came up to about the center line and passed it over to Tommy Madison, the flank who was opposing Yamamoto, who set up the first goal. He charged forward, penetrating the Chandara zone when he passed to Croco. He then made a quick pass over to Vince Romano, the flank opposite of Madison, who got a shot off. The Chandaran keeper was able to stop it, but couldn't catch it as the ball rolled through a sea of legs before Croco picked it up and found the upper ring on the right. The goal judge raised his left hand and Croco had earned five points for his team. Treetown had taken a five to three lead as the hourglass at the center position bled away the time in the period. It would run out after thirty minutes and when it did, the score was 52 to 48 in favor of the Treetown team. There was a quick intermission for the teams to refresh and go over new strategies.  
  
When the second of four periods started, the Chandarans came out with an extra vigor and scored the first nineteen points of the period. This made Croco upset and he got on his team, telling them they needed to keep on giving it their all. The Treetown team responded and came back on a 38 to 11 run to regain the lead. Then the Treetowners settled in on defense, not allowing a goal for a good ten minutes. However Chandara came close, as Darren had found a streaking flank on one rush. But he was in ahead of the ball and the line judge raised a red flag, signaling that he was offsides and that Treetown would get the ball back. They would score twice to extend their lead to 101 to 78 with about five minutes left. Seeing this unfold, Darren called his attackers up and told them to go for the outer rings, which were worth five points each. They were able to get three goals and draw within eight, but Keller shut them down for the rest of the period, although they got two middle ring goals. When the horn sounded to end the period, the score was 109 to 99 with Treetown still leading.  
  
Both leads were somewhat pleased with their team's efforts in the first half, with Croco noting that his defenders were aggressive in clearing the ball and Darren was lucky that his team wasn't losing by more than they were. However, he did like the way his flanks were setting up the wings, who were the primary scorers. The third period did see a reduction in scoring as the teams were starting to get tired. They were sluggish while bringing the ball through the Middle Zone, but Treetown looked more tired and the Chandarans were able to hold them to only 25 points. They also led for the first time since it was three to nothing at the end of the period with the score being 135 to 134. Croco gathered his exhausted team in before the start of the final period.  
  
"C'mon you guys," he said, "We've got only one more period to go and you're starting to give up. We've been playing excellent ball out there, now we have to put them away! We're Team Treetown and we are going to win this game...and if not, then my name ain't Croco Hallaway!" That seemed to uplift them and Treetown went out and scored the first thirteen points in the fourth. However, Chandara responded and it stayed tight throughout the period, with no team jumping out to a lead of more than six points. The score was tied at 170 when Croco motioned to Juan Morales, one of Treetown's 'ends,' who were primarily defenders responsible for guarding the wing on their side of the field.  
  
"Juan," he quietly said, "you come up to the center line and when you see me pass the ball to Madison, you're gonna get the ball and a clear shot at the rings. I've already told him about it." The plan was in work as Treetown worked the ball around to Croco. Morales came charging in as soon as he released it on the way to the flank. Madison's pass was perfect and Morales' shot found the upper left ring for five points. However, Chandara responded with three consecutive middle ring goals, thus making the score 179 to 175 in favor of the Chandarans.  
  
With time running down, the Treetowners tried desparately to get a score to draw closer to or take the lead from Chandara. And every time, they were stopped by Dana Eviska, the Chandaran keeper. Getting more and more desperate, the Treetown players were taking shot after shot with the same result. However with under a minute left, Eviska had stopped a shot and tried to clear but Morales stepped up to intercept. He wasted no time in getting a shot off which the keeper thought was going to the upper left ring. But the ball ricocheted off a Chandaran defender to the right. Eviska had already dove to block the original shot and was helpless as it bounced to Croco and he was able to put it through the upper ring only a few seconds before time expired.  
  
The horn sounded and the final score was 180 for the Treetowners and 179 for the Chandarans. Players on the Treetown side started to celebrate as many of the Chandaran players lied on the field stunned that they had lost. Darren was waiting at the center line for his opponents and finally they came, with Croco being the first to shake his hand.  
  
"That was quite a game your team played," Croco said. Darren smiled as he put an arm around the winning lead's shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, it could've gone either way," Darren replied. "Congratulations on your victory, but we'll get you guys next time." All the players shook hands at midfield as Melanie came onto the field to address the young men.  
  
"Bravo!" she said ecstatically while clapping, "You guys were magnificent! Croco, Darren...this is an amazing game you two have created. With all the people cheering you guys on, this will be a hit in no time!" They smiled as they walked off the makeshift field, knowing that their sport was well on its way to becoming a part of the Dinotopian culture. But most importantly, they all returned to the trees still friends and that was all that mattered to an exhausted Croco as he went to bed for a much needed rest. 


	31. Chapter 30 The Second Year

Chapter 30  
  
  
After that historic first ringball match, the word got out and it started to sweep througout the island as teams started forming all over Dinotopia. As for ringball among the inhabitants of Treetown, Croco, Darren and Melanie agreed that it would be best if first-time residents did not play for fear that it would interfere with their training. Soon, four more teams would come to Treetown to challenge Croco and Darren's squads, including one from Sauropolis and it was evident that ringball was there to stay.  
  
Darren's Chandara team won three matches and their only loss came to the team from Prosperine while Croco's Treetown squad also won three matches. They would end up losing their final match to the Sauropolis team on a late minute penalty taken by Croco, and he ended up kicking himself for it. The culmination of this impromtu "tournament" was a rematch between Treetown and Chandara, and the Chandarans won rather handily by a score of 204 to 185. With the teams going home, Croco could finally get back to doing the things they did before, although Croco and Darren would occasionally gather their teams to practice.  
  
One day as Croco was talking to Carlos, Nalina, and Sabrine, a girl came through Treetown that he never saw before. She was quite fit and had what appeared to be a velociraptor with her as she approached them.  
  
"G'day," she said, "do you know where I can find the person who runs Treetown?" Croco stood up.  
  
"Oh, Melanie...follow me." Croco led the girl up one of the main trees to where Melanie was talking to an adult, possibly a parent of one of the young people of Treetown. He tried to ask her what her name was, but she pleaded urgent business and left him. He knew she had to be Austrailian by her accent and the way she greeted him by saying "G'day." Croco wanted to get to know this girl a little better but didn't tell anybody for fear that it might wreck the relationship he had with Nalina. So he went on about his daily routine like nothing had happened.  
  
The next few months were quite busy for Croco. Between his daily tasks in the trees, running his ringball team and tending to the dinosaurs, that left him very little time for anything else. And what little free time he had, he always spent it at the lake, which became sort of a hangout place for Croco and his friends. Even if they didn't swim, they were always sitting by the water talking about something, occasionally bringing a saurian friend along with them. Croco was well liked by all and he liked everybody he came across.  
  
However, there was one young man that Croco wasn't too fond of. The boy's name was Alex Winchester and like Croco, he had ambitions of becoming a Skybax rider. But unlike Croco, he was very self-centered and arrogant and pranced about Treetown like he owned the place. One day Croco and a couple of his friends were going to the dining tree for dinner when he bumped into Alex. At fourteen summers old and being a full foot shorter than Croco, he had quite the nerve to stand up to him.  
  
"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going?" Alex asked. Croco turned to his friends, who were chattering among themselves.  
  
"Is this some kind of a mistake?" Croco asked. "I was just going..."  
  
"Save it Hallaway!" he said rather boldly and pushed him aside. Croco just laughed at this and kept on heading toward the tree.  
  
"Do you know that kid?" he asked them. One boy told him that Alex was from Canyon City and the only thing that he ever wanted to be was a Skybax rider. He also revealed that his mother was killed in an accident when he was young after her Skybax flew too close to the cliff and knocked her off into the canyon. His father, also a flyer, didn't like the idea of raising Alex by himself but he did so anyway. He developed an sense of pride which went too far and it rubbed off on the boy, causing him to be overly smug.  
  
Still, Croco tried to make friends with Alex but every time, he got turned aside. It only got worse when he told him that he wanted to be a Skybax rider as well. Alex would tell him that he would be a much better rider than him and that made Croco upset. However he didn't let it get to him.  
  
"You should watch yourself when you're around a hungry crocodile," Croco always told him, but that did nothing to change his attitude. Alex continued to be brash and confrontational to the point where all the young people of Treetown started to resent him. As spring turned into summer and the ringball fields would be needed to plant the millet that they were so dependant on, Croco was spending more time amongst the people and dinosaurs. He noticed Alex one day on one of the bridges connecting the trees. Going over to investigate, Croco saw that he and Darren were in a heated argument over something that he thought made little sense. Just as soon as he got there, Alex reached up and hit Darren. He stood his ground and tried to charge at him but was held back by Croco as supervisors rushed to the scene.  
  
When things calmed down, Croco tried to ask Darren what happen but he didn't want to talk about it. He understood as they had been the best of friends ever since Croco arrived over a year and a half ago. Just as they were about to go off for a swim on that hot early August day, a Skybax rider approached them with a letter for Darren. He took the time to read it, then smiled as he rushed to his basket to put the letter away. About a minute later, he ran over to where Croco was still standing with a smile on his face.  
  
"Hey Croco!" he said, "That was from the coach of a team from Chandara and they want to challenge us in a couple more weeks!" At first Croco was confused, but he remembered that after the success of the ringball tournament earlier that year, they were building the first ringball stadium near the town of Bent Root. Although all the seats hadn't been put in, they would still play and they went down to the lake in an excited state. Darren told him that if his team won, then he would become the lead for the Chandara team in the newly formed Dinotopia Ringball League as soon as he left Treetown. He also mentioned that they wanted to take on Croco's team as well and that made Croco excited as they went down to the lake for the afternoon. 


	32. Chapter 31 Redemption

Chapter 31  
  
  
As the days got a little shorter, the harvest season was fast approaching and that meant only one thing to Croco: a chance at redemption in the Ring Races. The memories of last year still lingered in his head like it all happened yesterday...the bump, the fall, rolling around on the track in pain and knowing that his shot at continuing on to Canyon City would have to wait. He had all but blocked them out with organizing the ringball teams and meeting everyone but now that Croco knew that the Games were nearing, it was starting to come back and his closest friends knew it.  
  
The day also came where the new ringball stadium in Bent Root would host its first match as the team from Chandara would arrive. Croco and Darren worked hard to prepare their teams, and this would momentarily ease Croco's mind from the accident. As the Treetown team took the field and he shook hands with Lugino Zanelli, the coach of the Chandarans, a feeling came over Croco that this might be his final game for a long time as he knew that ringball would get in the way of his intentions of becoming a Skybax rider. But that feeling went away at the opening roll ball as he knew that they had a game to play.  
  
Right from the beginning, Croco knew that the new Chandarans were good as his Treetown team never led in the first half. However, they would come back and when the final horn sounded, the Treetowners had won by a score of 193 to 187. Lugino met the player-coach Croco at midfield to shake his hand.  
  
"You've got a strong team there, Croco," he said with a prominent Italian accent, "It's a shame that you won't be a full time player cause you're an excellent lead." Croco thanked Lugino and told him that he might play on occasion, but it would be a rare one as his future duties would take up a lot of his time. Then he wished him luck against Darren's team, which would be called "New Chandara," although none of the players were from that town.  
  
Two days later, Darren's team would take the field and score a convincing 200 to 168 victory and Lugino kept true to his promise and named him the new lead of his team when he left Treetown. Overall, the new stadium was met with success as a lot of the townsfolk from Bent Root came out to see the games. The stadium had one side of the field filled with bleachers for humans and small saurians to sit and watch while the other side had a seven foot high wall with a platform for larger saurians to enjoy the game. At both ends was a thirty foot high wall that extended all the way around the Zones. Only sauropods and their riders could see anything over this and even then, they didn't stand within forty feet of the rings so they could get a good view of the action in front of the keepers.  
  
After the matches were completed and Lugino had taken his men back to Chandara, the young people got back to focusing on the upcoming Dinosaur Olympics. To Croco's delight, he was teamed up with Sabrine and Swifty again and they went to work rebuilding their bond and preparing for the races that would start in another week. Just as they completed their final practice session, they were surprised to see Bix and Cassie waiting for them. Croco seated himself on the saddle, then hopped off to greet the protoceratopses.  
  
"I see that you and Sabrine are looking good again out there," Cassie said while hoping not to jinx them. They both smiled as they all embraced each other and talked about the upcoming races. Croco and Sabrine would be going out on the first day of competition while Darren and his new partner, a girl from the nearby town of Sweet Creek named Pollina would go out on the third day. All were excited to see the opening ceremonies pass as the competition would start the next day.  
  
Sunrise came and Croco was ready to go. To his surprise, he wasn't quite that nervous and in fact, he was more excited than scared despite the fact that he fell and broke his arm the year before. He met up with Sabrine and Swifty in the holding area to make a few last minute preparations and were ready for the parade where the competitiors circled the track. While they were going around, Croco spotted Brock and Mira in the crowd as they waved at him. He waved back as Swifty and the other competitors took their places at the line. The cymbal crashed to send them on their way as the dimorphodon circled the track to set the pace.  
  
Croco and Sabrine were making it look easy, grabbing ring after ring and staying out front as much as they could. But Croco was expecting to get a bump that would potentially throw him off but it never came as the cymbal crashed again to end the race. The dust had cleared and they had six of the rings which was the most of all the teams. When they saw this, Croco and Sabrine threw their arms in the air...they had just won the race!   
  
Swifty circled the track at a reduced speed as people cheered loudly and waved their arms in the air, while at the same time the dinosaurs stamped and bellowed and the long-necked saurs swung their heads toward them as a sign of their commendation. When they exited the track, they were followed by a throng of children as they made their way over to where an elder Triceratops called "Thunderhorn" was waiting for them. Many of the saurian elders gave them their blessings as they approached Thunderhorn. Cassie was with them as he presented them a token of good fortune and addrerssed them with Cassie as their translator.  
  
"You young humans have just cracked through your shell," he said, "You are now worthy of becoming a Habitat Partner. The earth, the sea, and the sky call out to you and are open to your choosing. What Habitat, what zone of life do you choose?" Sabrine took time and thought about it while Croco didn't hesitate to make his intentions known.  
  
"I am of the sky, and that's where I wish to return," Croco said proudly. "Therefore, I choose the sky." Thunderhorn thought about it, then praised his decision. Meanwhile, Sabrine had finally made up her mind.  
  
"I shall choose the earth," she said. The triceratops took time to think about Sabrine's choice, then he nodded.  
  
"You seem to be one with the sea," Thunderhorn told her, "but if the earth beckons you, I have no choice but to let you answer the call." He wished them luck on their respective journeys before they left. When Croco came out, he was tackled to the ground by Kaala as she was so happy for him. Brock, Mira and Nobby waited for her to finish before congratulating him themselves.  
  
"You don't know how proud we are of you," Mira said to him. "Being able to watch our seed flower before our very eyes brings me great joy." Croco didn't know what it meant at first but he had an idea as to what she was saying. Then a bellow was heard and an ecstatic Nobby rushed in to embrace him.  
  
"I am so proud of you!" she said, "I can't even find the right words in all my wisdom to tell you! I'll be waiting for the day where I can meet your Skybax, although to be honest I really can't wait. Good luck in your training Croco!" And that's how the day was for Croco and Sabrine, accepting praise from everyone they came across and it was a feeling that they enjoyed.  
  
However, the next day they would end up going their separate ways and that brought a feeling of sadness upon Croco. The good-bye between him and his best friend Darren went along better than planned, but saying good-bye to Nalina would be the hardest thing he had ever done so far. The sight of her long brown hair and deep blue eyes made him melt inside and knowing that now was harder than it ever was before. But he still made his way over to where she was.  
  
"I can't believe you won!" Nalina shouted as she threw herself into Croco's arms. Croco told her that he was still getting used to it himself."So what Habitat did you choose Croco?" she asked. Then she caught herself, recalling all of her experiences with him. "Or do I even need to ask?"  
  
"Come on Nalina," he said, "which one do you think I chose?"  
  
"Knowing you Croco...I'd say you chose the sky, since you've been so obsessed with being a Skybax rider. How long have you been wanting to ride?"  
  
"Ever since I landed on Dinotopia, all I've ever thought about was getting the chance to fly again," Croco told her. "Three long years, and now it's going to become a reality. I'm so excitied right now, I can barely contain myself!"  
  
"I know, but you won't be so excited to start training. I hear Oolu's pretty tough."  
  
"Come on, it can't be that bad," he said, "but it should be pretty interesting though." The sun was starting to set in the western sky, and the sun was also setting on the relationship between Nalina and Croco. They embraced each other for one final time, as Croco reminded her that he would be checking up on her periodically when he gets his Skybax.  
  
"Be sure to write me," she said as she finally parted from Croco.  
  
"I'll be sure to," he replied as he stepped away from the girl that took his heart. He was never really in love until he met Nalina. "Breathe deep..."  
  
"...Seek peace," and like that, Croco headed back to his basket for the final time. 


	33. Chapter 32 The Calling to Canyon City

Chapter 32  
  
  
The next moring Croco was up with the sun, bags packed and ready to go. The smile on his face was evident as he raced to the brach station to get his ticket. While he was waiting for the brach to arrive, he was greeted by Bix and Cassie. Each gave him a hug as they congratulated him on the victory in the race the previous day. But Croco wanted someone to guide him through Canyon City and asked Bix.  
  
"I'd love to, but I've got some business to take care of back home," she chuckled. "But I'm sure Castra would be up to it." Cassie agreed as a man approached them.  
  
"You guys going to Canyon City?" he asked. The three of them nodded in unison. "Very well then, come with me." He led them around to where a brachiosaur was waiting. The man simply introduced himself as Darwin and led them aboard the giant saurian. After a few more passengers got on, Darwin climbed on a saddle attached to the top of the saur's neck close to the head and led them away.  
  
After about two days on the Northern Plains mingling with the Apatosaurus herds, they arrived at a junction where the Backbone Mountains met with the Forbidden Mountains. Darwin decided that it would be best if they disembarked and told them to go through Rocky Pass to avoid any "hard" climbing. He wished Croco luck in his training before he and his companion left them. They spent the following day walking through the rocky terrain, with Cassie explaining to him about a city at about 15,000 feet called Thermala where prehistoric mammals accompany the people there. She was talking about the hot springs when a strong wind came off a ridge, nearly blowing Croco off his feet. The little protoceratops laughed and lended Croco a support.  
  
"We're here Croco!" Cassie said ecstatically.  
  
"Where?" he asked. He couldn't see anything but solid rock. Cassie motioned to him to come over to where she was standing. When Croco went over, he got his first glimpse of Canyon City. Just the sight left him speechless, mouth agape and eyes wide as the canyon that it was built upon. Occasionally he saw a Skybax or two fly close to him as he was in a state of amazement. Cassie nudged him and he moved along, still stunned by the sheer magnificence of his surroundings. After about an hour of walking through the streets, they came up to a place in the rock with a door attatched to it.  
  
"Cassie, what is this?" Croco asked, "Where are we?" She knocked on the door and swished her tail back and forth. A moment later a short yet solid man wearing the blue uniform of a Master Rider opened it. He smiled when he saw Cassie standing at the door and bent down to greet her, stroking her face.  
  
"I remember doing this to your mother when I was just a boy," he said. Then Cassie backed off to where Croco was standing.  
  
"I brought him with me," she said, nudging Croco to encourage him to step forward. "This is Croco Hallaway, the young man I've been working with over the past two and a half years. Croco Hallaway, this is Will Denison, a friend of my mother's and a truly gifted Skybax rider." They shook hands as Will led him inside.  
  
"I am honored to meet you," Croco told him. "I've heard of your father's travels and it kinda gives a dolphinback like me a little hope." The older rider laughed as he asked Croco about his origin. Croco told him about the crash and that he was a fourth-generation pilot among other things. He also went on about his three years on the island, starting with his arrival in Neopylos and continuing on with his adventures in Waterfall City and Treetown. Every so often Will would ask a question that Croco was all too happy to answer. When he was done, he put a hand on the young man's shoulder.  
  
"Well Croco," he said, "welcome to your home. This is where you'll be living for the rest of your days if you're gonna be a flyer." He led him around his rocky abode and Croco was impressed by the fact that the whole apartment was built into the canyon itself. They continued to talk for a little bit before the three stepped out onto a balcony to watch the sun disappear behind the rocky ledges. Realizing that it was getting dark, Will hurried Croco and Cassie out the door and was not too far behind himself. They walked a little ways before coming up on a larger cluster of apartments. Will talked to the manager, then he led them inside.  
  
"This is where most of the beginner riders stay...the Rainbow Ridge Inn," Will told him. "I'm sure you two will be just fine." Cassie reassured him on this and said good night to him. When he was gone, Cassie helped Croco set up his room. They were to the point of falling asleep when suddenly Croco sat up in his bed.  
  
"Cassie," he said quietly, "what did Thunderhorn mean when he told us that?" Cassie hopped up onto the small bed.  
  
"What do you mean Croco?" Cassie replied.  
  
"About us cracking through our shells...I never recalled being in a shell before." The saurian's eyes widened a tiny bit.  
  
"Well...the way Thunderhorn sees young humans as that they are enclosed in eggs," she explained. "Cracking through a hard shell is no easy task if you ask me. Neither is living without a yolk sac, so that just goes to show you how hard this world really is...for all of us, human or reptilian." Croco eased back a bit, letting his head rest on the pillow. He had understood every word that Cassie had just said, and told her with a smile that his time in Treetown was well spent. Then the protoceratops bolted off the bed and circled around an area close to the bed.  
  
"We've got to get some sleep!" she said, alarmed, "Will said you have to be at the Academy by sunrise!" Croco told her not to worry as they both slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of many adventures but by very different means. Croco dreamed of flying through the canyon aboard a Skybax, rising and diving through the rocky utopia while Cassie dreamed of the Rainy Basin and being among her kind in the wild, moving through clearings and running off wild velociraptors. At one point, a smile came across both of their faces, but it went unseen through their slumber as Croco would start the first day of the rest of his life at sunrise. 


	34. Chapter 33 First Class

Chapter 33  
  
  
After catching a glimpse of light from the east, Croco scrambled to wake up Cassie and grab a quick bite as he put on the uniform that Will had left him. After asking the desk manager, they made their way to the Skybax Academy after a ten-minute walk, but they were both surprised to see that nobody was there. Finally they spotted a Master rider, a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, walking towards them. Seeing Croco, she stopped in mid-step.  
  
"You must be a new beginner, am I right?" she said. Croco nodded. "All right, come with me...Oolu's going to prepare the new wave of pilots today." The rider, whose name was Alynna McRae, led them out to an outcropping where several other beginners were waiting and conversing with each other. Alynna, who was three mothers Scottish, invited Cassie to stay and observe Croco after she inquired about him, but she declined and instead went back to Croco's apartment. Croco mingled among the others until Oolu came and at once, the class snapped to attention. He looked over the new crop with an intent gaze, then peered up to the sky.  
  
"Before we begin," he started, "I would like to tell you that I will be retiring as head Skybax instructor after the next Habitat Conference. I've taught some of your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents to fly and you should be honored to be the final group that I teach. Now to begin..." He threw his right arm to the sky and instantly a Skybax came gliding down to the outcropping where they were stationed. Many of the students jumped back when it landed but Croco stood firm. The Skybax preened and shuffled, balancing awkwardly on its long leg, then it caught itself and began to clean off its wings.  
  
"Please keep in mind that this here is a pterosaur," Oolu stated, "It does not understand your language or any saurian so you cannot command it to do what you want it to unless you knew the pterosaurian language, which even I haven't mastered yet." He pointed out toward a group of statues in the distance. "Also, when you begin taking your first flights, you will discover that your Skybax will not fly past the Sentinels. That is off limits for all creatures and cannot be passed while in flight." Oolu then told the class about the two great pterosaurs and their roles in maintaining the balance of life in the canyon.  
  
"...Quetzalcoatlus took to the clouds and chose the rainbow as its sign. Pteranodon chose to stay in the canyon and are gatekeepers to the World Beneath. Although the Pteranodons will not attack you or your Skybax, you must respect the fact that they are brothers who still have their differences." Oolu then gave a quick description of what the class was going to be like. First, they would be assigned a Skybax to which they will remain with, then they would take short flights into the canyon, and they would also be taught how to climb by a special climbing instructor. While this was going on, they would also spend time in the classroom learning about clouds and cloud formations as well as some of the more famous riders in the past. When he was finished, Oolu dismissed the class and told them to be back at the Academy Classroom at sunrise. But as Croco left, Oolu grabbed his shoulder. The young man stopped dead in his tracks as he waited for the other students to leave.  
  
"Croco Hallaway," he said, "I want you to come with me." Croco didn't say a word as Oolu led him to the Skybax rookery at Pteros. It was a good two hours before they got there but once they did arrive, the old Master led him to where one of the great pterosaurs was penned.  
  
"I can see that you have great potential," Oolu told him, "That alone is the reason that I am doing this for you and nobody else." He beckoned for the Skybax to come out, which it did and spread its wings out. Streaks of red ran down the wings with little pockets of green in the middle which appeared in the middle of the wing and scattered from tip to body.  
  
"This Skybax has had a troubled past. In his twelve summers, we have given him two cadets and he has rejected them. One of them was nearly thrown off to his death in the canyon and the other quit because she couldn't handle him. Because of this he hasn't been named yet and I heard about your relationships in Treetown and thought that you would be the one that this Skybax would accept." Croco looked at the pterosaur with a great interest, as this has been as close as he had been to one, even closer than he was to Lightwing earlier. But when the Skybax looked at Croco, it was done. He lowered his head to look at him up close to scout him out for possible weaknesses but Croco stood firm. Then he then turned back to Oolu.  
  
"I've always enjoyed a challenge," Croco said, "so yes...I want to work with this one." Oolu smiled as he motioned to Croco to come with him back to the city. He also told the young man that tomorrow the class would be assigned their Skybaxes and take their first flights into the canyon. Croco beamed with excitement, now he knew the day that he would finally fly again. He made his way back to the apartment where Cassie was waiting for him.  
  
"So how was your first day?" she asked. The smile on his face told her all she needed to know. Still, Croco couldn't help but to share the news.  
  
"Tomorrow we're gonna meet our Skybaxes and take our first flights!!!" he shouted ecstatically. "Oh boy, I can't wait...really!" Cassie nudged him onto the bed.  
  
"All right, that's enough bellowing for a human," she told him. "Takes the fun outta being excited in the first place." Cassie then rolled onto her side, inviting Croco to rub her belly the way he always did. He knew she wanted it and put a hand right in the middle of her underside and began to run his hand in a circle, each getting slightly bigger. The protoceratops began to coo and purr as her eyes started to close. Cassie rolled back around to the upright position.  
  
"Oh look at the sky," she said, noting that the sun was getting lower and lower to the west. "I know of a good place to eat, so let's go there and hopefully we'll be back here sometime shortly after sundown. C'mon Croco, let's get a move on!" The young man took Cassie's word to heart and was by her side as they walked down the somewhat busy promenade until they came up on Slider's Pub, which didn't offer the best of environments but was still a good enough place in Cassie's mind to take a dolphinback. After a good meal and many conversations with Apprentice Riders, they finally made their way back to the inn where a tired Croco immediately fell asleep, ready for the adventures that were waiting the next day. 


	35. Chapter 34 Learning to Fly Again

Chapter 34  
  
  
The next day, Croco was one of the first of the new cadets to the Academy Classroom and was eager to return to Pteros so he could meet his Skybax for the first time. Soon, many of the other cadets made their way into the room and the chatter began to pick up until Oolu came to the front of the room. At once, the students looked up at him intently.  
  
"Good day class," he said to greet the students. "Today you will make your first trip to the Pteros rookery where you will meet your new life partners. I assume you all know how to climb?" Croco nodded, as he was an avid climber and excelled at it as well. None of the other students objected either and pretty soon they were on their way to the rookery.  
  
When the class got there, most of them were in awe at the sheer number of Skybaxes inside the facility. But before they were led in, Oolu led them into a small room where he instruced them on how to position themselves in the saddle. A man who worked at the rookery fitted each of the cadets into a saddle and they waited for the others to finish up. When they all had their saddles, the rookery worker and Oolu led them into the holding pens where they were paired with a Skybax.  
  
The students took turns tying their saddles to their new mount, some needing help while others got it right the first time. However, Croco hadn't been introduced to his Skybax left and Oolu led him to the one they looked at yesterday. The rest of the beginners were in shock and began whispering to each other, but that was put to an end with a sharp glare from the Master. The Skybax looked over the young man like he did the day before.  
  
"So what's his name?" Croco asked. The rookery worker arrived and looked up at him.  
  
"Doesn't have one yet," he told him, "The first two cadets that were assigned..."  
  
"...I already told him about this one Benju," Oolu said. "Croco here's willing to give it a go with him...he's very enthusiastic." Benju shook his head and sighed, then opened the enclosure where the pterosaur lowered his head. Croco was able to put the saddle on with hardly any difficulty once he knew how it went on the Skybax's back. Oolu led them out to a clearing where the other students and their Skybaxes were waiting. After a quick review of how to lay in the saddle, he addressed the class.  
  
"You are about to experience something that few Dinotopians have ever been through...the experience of flight," he told them. "However, the only way you can truly enjoy this is if you fully trust your Skybax. It will not do anything that will put your life at risk, so do not be afraid. Breathe deep.....fly high!" And with that, he showed them the mounting platforms where one by one, the students mounted their Skybaxes for the first time and they took off into the canyon, many of the riders letting out whoops and screams of joy. Like in the rookery, Croco was the last to mount but Oolu stopped him before he could climb aboard.  
  
"Croco, wait," he said. "I want to be airborne with you so I can monitor your Skybax...he's tried to fly upside down in order to throw a rider off into the canyon." With that, Lightwing moved into position and soon they took off while Croco climbed aboard his mount. With a quick tap of its long neck, the great pterosaur was off and into the canyon.  
  
He had flown an airplane before and he had gone skydiving in his short life, but the feel of riding through the sky aboard a giant reptile was the greatest thrill Croco had ever experienced. The smile on his face was as wide as the Great Canyon itself as the Skybax took him up into the clouds, then hurtled earthward while banking to the left toward the Sentinels. But once it got there, it did a complete 180-degree turn and flew back in the other direction with Croco hanging on for dear life. It continued to fly around the canyon, at times flying dangerously low in the canyon to the territory of the Pteranodons, but glided back up. After a couple hours of this, the Skybax landed back at the rookery where Oolu and Lightwing were waiting.  
  
"So how was your first flight?" he asked. It took Croco a long time to come up with an answer as the sheer exhilaration of the flight hadn't fully dissipated. After he was able to keep a straight face for more than ten seconds, Croco turned to Oolu.  
  
"Incredible," he said, "...simply incredible." The Skybax squawked proudly and Oolu smiled.  
  
"Have you thought of a name for him?" Croco scratched his chin for a little bit and simply shook his head. Oolu sighed and told him that he would be leaving for the time. He watched and waved as Lightwing took to the skies, then turned back to his companion.  
  
"Now...as to what to name you..." he sighed. He paced back and forth, trying to think. At last, he came up with a good name for his new friend.  
  
"All right...from this point on, I shall call you.....Speedwing. How's that?" The pterosaur thought about it, then squawked and chattered in approval. He liked the name very much and Croco saw him off to the rookery, but not before lowering his head to see him at eye level while softly crooning to him. "Goodbye Speedwing...see you tomorrow," and like that Croco left the rookery to make his way back down to the city.  
  
She was waiting by the door, anxious for him to come back home. Somehow, she thought that he was in danger and every time she heard someone go by, she braced herself but it wasn't him. Finally the doorknob began to turn and she perked up. When she saw him, she couldn't help but to throw herself into the young man's arms...even though she was a Protoceratops and weighed a good two hundred-fifty pounds more than he did. Still, that didn't mean that Cassie was any less relieved to see Croco come into the small apartment.  
  
"Oh my, I'm so glad to see you!" she said, "Some beginners don't even survive their first flight or get hurt very badly." Croco sighed as he threw himself on the bed, exhausted.  
  
"I didn't know flying would be this...hard," he said, panting, "Between the fact that I had to make a two-hour climb to the rookery and my neck and back being sore from all that time in the saddle, I'm ready to retire right now!" Cassie lept up onto the bed, swishing her tail gently across his back.  
  
"Too bad I'm not a female human right now, cause if I were..."  
  
"All right Cassie," Croco said, laughing, "we don't need to go into details." But still Croco could sense that she liked him more than he thought she did. Cassie had the same thoughts concerning her and Croco too, and it made him a little uncomfortable knowing that he had a crush on a member of a completely different species. Then he remembered that she had a mate and a hatchling back in Waterfall City, but still that didn't mean that he didn't have feelings for her. He slowly drifted off to sleep, even though it was only the late afternoon. His dreams were of Cassie as a human with long, flowing red hair and a little bit on the heavy side, like the protoceratops. He only had eyes for her and they ended up mating on a patch of soft ferns near a pond in an open field. Croco woke up and saw that it was the middle of the night with Cassie fast asleep. He walked out to look at the stars, then went back to sleep and didn't wake up until Cassie shook him at sunrise. 


	36. Chapter 35 Speedwing

Chapter 35  
  
  
That day, Croco and the other beginners took their training flights into the canyon immediately. Everything went fine at the beginning for Croco and Speedwing, but about an hour into the flight, the Skybax did a half-loop and started flying upside down.  
  
"Dammit," Croco thought to himself, "this is what Oolu warned me about!" He tried not to be scared, but with the Amu River more than six thousand feet below him, it was very difficult for him not to be. Croco gritted his teeth and held on to Speedwing's neck. It didn't affect him as he continued this for about three minutes and when he turned right-side up again, the pterosaur let out a long, piercing cry. Speedwing flew back to the rookery and landed right next to where Oolu and Lightwing were waiting.  
  
"I was watching you the whole time," Oolu said, "and don't tell me you were the least bit scared of falling off." Croco smiled and almost broke into laughter, but didn't as he tightened the straps holding the saddle to Speedwing.  
  
"I wasn't scared the least bit," he told him, "I knew that Speedwing wanted to see if I had any fear of heights. I may have held onto his neck a little snugly but I wasn't frightened at all. Call it Speedwing's initiation to life in the sky for me." Oolu sighed and walked off as he was at a loss of words. He knew that the dolphinback was smarter than he originally thought and would go far...even as far as to hold his position of Habitat Partner someday in the future. Then he came back to Croco.  
  
"Your youth masks the great wisdom you possess," Oolu said to him. "To make it far as a Skybax Rider, true you must be brave, but more importantly you must be wise. Knowing what you're doing means the difference between life and death for both of you." He patted Croco on the shoulder while he went off to see Speedwing off. Even though they were starting to bond, the Skybax still maintained a fiery independence and would screech and flap his wings threateningly when someone, even Croco on occasion, would get too close to him. When they got to Speedwing's designated roosting pen, he walked in but before his rider left, he lowered his beak so that he was eye-to-eye with Croco. The young man could feel a tear in his eye as he was starting to bond with Speedwing too.  
  
"Goodnight boy," he said, kissing his beak, "I love you and we'll fly again tomorrow." Croco hugged the massive beak and went off, but not before he turned back to see Speedwing waving one of his enormous wings in an emotional good-bye.  
  
The next couple of weeks saw the cadets learn to climb. Croco was paired along with three others with Alynna, the rider he met on the first day of class. Her bright blue eyes and child-like smile concealed the fact that she was a hard, yet forgiving instructor. Croco was able to master the small climbing wall, however a young man by the name of Ezrah Hallna had a lot of difficulty with it. A boy of only fourteen summers from a city on the northeast coast called Prosperine, Ezrah showed a lot of promise aboard his mount named Valkyrie. But he couldn't quite grasp the training wall, so Croco and Alynna help him and before long, he was reaching the top with relative ease.  
  
They also spent a lot of time in the classroom learning about wind currents and clouds, something Croco found uninteresting as he already knew those like the back of his hand. He kept thinking about Speedwing as the flights were becoming shorter and less frequent. However Croco also knew that any unauthorized flights would be met with harsh reprimands or even be sent back to Treetown to be retrained. He thought about it but thought it would be best to wait.  
  
Still the weeks zoomed by and Alynna had taken control of the class for horizontal climbing over Canyon City. And like on the training wall, Croco proved to be one of the better climbers. Still he felt that he should be in the air instead of the rocks. One day after a training flight, Croco proceeded to hunt down Oolu, but it took him a long time to find him.  
  
"Aye, Croco?" Oolu said when he caught eye of him. Croco put his hands on his hips.  
  
"I feel like this training is holding me back," he said kind of angrily, "I learned all this stuff when I became a pilot in the outside world. I came here..." Oolu put a hand up and instantly he fell silent.  
  
"Flying in a metal bird is a far cry from riding on the back of a pterosaur," Oolu said, staring down Croco as if to dare him to say something. "Speedwing will let you know when he's ready." Croco smiled.  
  
"I feel like I'm ready," he said confidently. But Oolu took him by the shoulder and led him out into the street.  
  
"You may feel like you're ready, but in order to truly prove that you are of the sky, you must learn what it's like to fly without the aid of your Skybax." Croco laughed at that statement.  
  
"Anyone can see that we can't fly," he said. "In fact..."  
  
"But you can climb..." Oolu snapped, "...and very well from what I hear from Alynna. And you can also carry a backpack. You must also learn what it's like to carry a heavy weight on your back as well." He turned to face the southwest and pointed to the sky. "Up there...up in the Forbidden Mountains...there's a place called the Tentpole of the Sky. Many Riders, I included, have made the long journey to the Tentpole, but only one other dolphinback has done it and that was well before your time began. I shall see to it that you go to the Tentpole, but think of Speedwing when you make the climb...you'll win a friend for life from it." Croco sighed as he thought about Oolu's offer. He knew vaguely about the Tentpole, yet wanted to find out more about it so he went ahead and accepted the challenge. Still, he was a little skeptical about it afterwards.  
  
"I'm a Dolphinback, remember?" he said nervously, "and I'm no mountaineer by any sense." Oolu smiled and introduced him to his guide.  
  
"That's where I come in..." It was Alynna, much to Croco's surprise and delight. "Who better than a lass like me to take an Irishman to the top of the world?" Alynna then told Croco that she had visited the Tentpole many times in her eighty-four summers and enjoyed the serenity of the place. She also told him that's how she earned her apprenticeship and solidified the bond with her Skybax named Starlight. So they agreed that Croco would make the journey to the Tentpole of the Sky when the training period was completed and parted ways. 


	37. Chapter 36 Cassie's Goodbye

Chapter 36  
  
  
The rest of the training went along flawlessly for Croco and the other cadets. As a matter of fact, Oolu reported that there was not even a near-fall during the entire season, which was about four months long. He was very proud of his final class and arranged for them to go to the Silver Skybax, which was the finest restaurant in Canyon City, as a group to reward their achievement. After this came final tests, where they would display all that they had learned in front of the citizens of Canyon City in a recital-like format. Croco and Speedwing performed flawlessly, however the same could not be said for everyone else as Ezrah and Valkyrie were caught by a sudden wind gust and nearly thrown into the side of the canyon. However, they made it out unscathed to the relief of everyone.  
  
On the day after the final tests were completed, there was a graduation ceremony held in the Grand Ampitheater where Oolu cleared the students and challenged them to earn their Apprenticeship. A lot of families were there, but due to the short notice the Hornadays couldn't attend. But still Croco thought about them and especially Nobby as he accepted his graduation certificate. After the ceremony, he made his way back to his room at the Rainbow Ridge Inn and started to pack his belongings into a backpack as he was destined the next day to begin his journey with Alynna to the great Tentpole of the Sky.  
  
As Croco packed his possessions into his backpack, he heard a knock on the door. Upon answering it, he saw Cassie standing outside. A smile came across his face.  
  
"I had some important business to take care of after the ceremony but I set that aside just to be with you," she said. The two embraced as Croco finished packing. He only had three changes of clothes and something that Cassie gave him during his training, so he finished rather quickly and sat on the bed in deep thought. Then Croco looked up at the late afternoon sky.  
  
"Would you like to come with us Cassie?" he asked. Cassie gasped and backed away, shaking her head and wide-eyed.  
  
"Oh no, I'm not a mountain climber," she said, laughing. "Alynna should be a good companion for you though. She knows the Forbidden Mountains like the back of her hand." But deep inside, Cassie didn't want to leave Croco's side. She had watched him grow over the past four years...from a boy who was lost and looking for his purpose to a pillar of strength and fortitude that was unforseeable when he first landed. But Croco still carried one trait from the outside world to Dinotopia, and that was his feelings for females of all species. He got on his knees in front of the protoceratops.  
  
"These have been the greatest years of my life," Croco said. "I wouldn't give them up even if it meant death. You've meant the world to me and I want to be with you." Another knock on the door, this time it was from a navigator of a brach caravan that had disembarked nearby.  
  
"Castra, it is time." he told her. Cassie shook him off but he was insistant. She turned to Croco, the tears flowing down her scaly face. Although she was very outgoing, she rarely showed her true emotions. But this time Cassie couldn't help it.  
  
"I've never...felt this way...about a human in all my years," she said, sniffling the whole time. "But I have to leave you. I'm needed in Waterfall City. You're heading to the Tentpole of the Sky. I'm gonna miss you...Croco." She tried to leave, but Croco had a firm hold of her tail.  
  
"You're just gonna go?" he asked, easing his grip. She slowly nodded as she headed off. "Cassie, I love you!" he shouted, the tears starting to trickle from his eyes also. "Please, I don't want you to leave...you mean too much for me! I still remember my first day in Waterfall City when I first saw you in my room. It wasn't as obvious as it is now, but I knew you were special. The months went by and we got closer and closer to each other until the night after my first flight. I actually had a dream that night that we were mating...you were a human of course, but still we were actually mating! That's when it hit me that we were more than just friends." His crying became less controlled as he finished his statement as Cassie turned around, their green eyes meeting as they looked deep into each other's soul.  
  
"You...really love me that much?" she asked as she was just as confused as Croco. He didn't say anything but Cassie knew the answer right away as she put one of her front feet up to his face and wiped away a tear with one of her toes. "I love you that much too, but you're a human and I am of the family Ceratopsidae. It would never work out and even if I were human, I have a mate and a son back home. You must understand that in order to make it in the world, you have to learn how to let go. This is the last thing I will ever teach you, as your stay at the Tentpole will be the test. I have great faith in you Croco, do not let me down." The navigator knocked again, and though it was subtle Cassie was able to hear it.  
  
"I must be going now," she said. But before she left, Cassie went back and gave Croco a big hug, not letting go for nearly three whole minutes. During this, they whispered words of encouragement to each other, promising that they would keep in touch and that they would meet again in the near future. After they separated, Cassie left the room, but not before letting out an mournful cry as a final goodbye to the young man she loved more than another son. If Cassie had it her way, Croco would be accompanying her on the brach to Waterfall City, but she knew of his dreams of flying again and set her personal desires aside in true Dinotopian nature.  
  
Croco went to dinner alone that night and remained that way, even after Alynna saw him in his dejected state and invited him to sit with her. After coming back to the apartment, he shuffled through his backpack and pulled out the keepsake that Cassie gave him. It was a small silver pendant in the shape of the head of a Protoceratops attached to a shiny brass chain she picked up in Cornucopia and he put it on, holding it close to his heart. Already he was starting to miss Cassie as he slowly cried himself to a dreamless sleep, but even though he wanted to be with her, Croco knew that he wanted to fly more than anything and took the protoceratops' words of wisdom to heart. He would awake the next morning to start the first day of the rest of his life on Dinotopia. 


	38. Chapter 37 Through the Foothills

Chapter 37  
  
  
Croco slept rather uneasily as the thoughts of Cassie lingered in his mind. He dreamed that he was flying over the Rainy Basin when he heard her call out. Upon arrival, he saw his friend being cornered against the wall of a cave by a pack of hostile Deinonychus. Jumping off his Skybax, Croco rushed to the scene only to be jumped by a pair of deinonychs. They gently picked him up by his arms and led him over to where the trapped protoceratops was. Then the alpha walked up to him with an evil glare in his eye.  
  
"Foolish human," he said in human. "I should've known you would come for this leaf-eater." Eyes filled with rage, Croco tried to charge at him but was pounced.  
  
"Let her go!" he shouted, "She's my friend!"  
  
"All the more reason you shall enjoy this!" Then it happened...one by one the deinonychs danced around Cassie, slashing at her with their finger-claws while she cried out in agony. Croco tried to wriggle out but every time he tried, the deinonychs would pin him against a nearby tree until the alpha ordered his release. Upon this, he tried to rush at Cassie but was cut off by the alpha.  
  
"Croco, save yourself!" Cassie bellowed.  
  
"Shut up, leaf-eater!" The alpha bared his teeth and told Croco that if he tried anything he would die, to which he said, "take me...but just leave Cassie alone!" The alpha grabbed Croco and positioned himself so he could see Cassie. Then with a bob of the head, two large females attacked the protoceratops, digging deep into her and slashing with their toe-claws. Both human and saurian screamed out while the alpha laughed a sick, evil laugh as blood and organs spilled onto the ground.  
  
"Cassie!!!" he cried out as he woke up in a cold sweat, still shaking as if the deinonychs were still holding him. Croco got up and walked around the small room, stopping to peek out the window. Seeing it was still dark, he sauntered back to his bed and closed his eyes. But the nightmare continued to haunt him, not allowing the young man to go back to sleep until he heard a knock on the door. Still groggy, he answered it and saw Alynna standing there.  
  
"Looks like you saw the devil there lad," she joked. But Croco was not in the mood for sarcasm.  
  
"Even worse," he replied. "I had a nightmare where I was forced to watch the protoceratops die at the hands of deinonychs." Alynna sighed and put an arm around Croco's shoulder, explaining the route they planned on taking. She was going to get to this, but decided to bring it up then to take his mind off the nightmare. Alynna told him that they would take the trail south and west to get around the mountains, then cut through the foothills while stopping in one of the villages to take on warmer clothing. After that, they would spend a day or so in a settlement called Sky City before making their final climb to the Tentpole of the Sky.  
  
If everything went well according to Alynna, the trip would take about two weeks. To make things even better, Oolu arranged for a brachiosaur to pick them up when they left Canyon City so they could conserve their energy for climbing. With that, Croco threw on a change of clothes and his denim vest that he managed to hang onto from the day he landed and was out the door, backpack in hand as the first rays of sunlight crept over the faces of the Sentinels.  
  
After a filling breakfast and receiving many good-byes from instructors, classmates and citizens alike, Croco and Alynna reached the outskirts of Canyon City. They walked a good ways before meeting up with brach caravan. To the young man's surprise, they would be riding with Darwin and his brachiosaur named Cloudtop. Darwin recognized him immediately and exchanged greetings with him. He knew Alynna as well and before long the three were engaged in a long, thoughtful conversation. But then the time came for them to continue their journey through the foothills. So Darwin ordered them on Cloudtop's back and clacked when he was on top of the saddle attached to her neck, and they headed southward.  
  
They were making good time through the eastern foothills when Cloudtop stumbled, sending everyone into an alarmed state. When she started to limp, Darwin was lowered and with Alynna's help, they saw what her problem was. She had apparently stepped on a rock and cut one of her front feet, so they spent a good time patching it up by tying large towels over the wound. They were able to get going again, but she was still limping a little bit so their time was greatly reduced.  
  
The first stop was in a small village near a trail intersection three days after they left Canyon City. There, Cloudtop's foot was looked at and Croco got to meet some of the locals as well. Upon telling them of their journey, he and Alynna received the cold-weather clothes that the Master rider had mentioned. After staying the night, Darwin and Cloudtop were on their way with Croco and Alynna. Clearing the southern tip was no problem as Darwin had led numerous expeditions to a well-known dropoff point for humans to reach Thermala on foot. The next day, they reached the dropoff point, which was at about 250 necks above sea level.  
  
Croco and Alynna were greeted by an icy breeze coming from the north, to which they picked up their backpacks and started to walk into. About an hour later, they had reached the halfway point when Croco turned to his companion.  
  
"Alynna, where are we going?" he asked. The response was simple.  
  
"Thermala, then to Sky City...and then the Tentpole." They trudged on through foot-deep snow and negotiated large boulders. Finally they tackled a steep climb up the face of the mountain, but four hours after they left Darwin and Cloudtop, Croco and Alynna set foot on gentle terrain. A few minutes after that, they stood at the gates of Thermala where people and the first ancient mammals Croco had seen greeted them in typical Dinotopian fashion.  
  
"Breathe deep, seek peace Alynna McRae and Croco Hallaway...welcome to the grand city of Thermala!" Croco looked around at the alpine wonderland they were in and was amazed at what he saw. It was like an enlarged version of Vail, which he had fond memories of from when he went to snowboard camp there the year before the crash. Most of the buildings were made of wood, with a few exceptions that were stone. There, they met up with a wooly mammoth and its "handler," a short, young, blonde-haired woman who appeared to be about Croco's age. She greeted the two fliers and introduced herself as Katya Braunn and the mammoth as Skytusk.  
  
"Are you two heading for Sky City by any chance?" Katya asked. Alynna told her of their journey to the Tentpole, then they began to converse as they made their way towards the northern edge of the city. The wind began to die down as the three humans found a 'mammoth house' with adjacent human quarters to spend the night in. 


	39. Chapter 38 Sky City and Icepick

Chapter 38  
  
  
Alynna was the first one up as the sun peeked over the mountaintops, announcing the arrival of the new day. She commented on how beautiful the morning sun was, which seemed to awake Croco and Katya from their slumber. The young woman, who at twenty-eight summers old was just older than Croco, made her way to the barn to get Skytusk ready for their trip while Croco made his way out to a balcony so he could take in the late winter air with Alynna. A period of silence ensued before the young man sighed.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Croco. "Reminds me of wintertime in my hometown. The snow sure is a welcome sight to me." Alynna looked over at him. Although she would be considered old by outside world standards, she looked like she was in her forties or fifties.  
  
"I know," was her reply. "So where exactly did you come from?" Croco took a breath and started to describe the area he lived in...a town in New York called Webster, which was close to Lake Ontario. He also told her about New York City, which Alynna was amazed by all the buildings and lights and other things the city possessed. He was about to go on about the United States when Katya's voice startled them.  
  
"Skytusk is getting rather impatient, so if we're gonna go, we'd better go now." she said. Alynna nodded and Croco made his way back through the living quarters. Skytusk trumpted when she saw the three humans enter the barn and started to pace about. Katya beckoned the mammoth over to a platform, where she waited while they climbed on her back, Katya taking her place at the front. With a click, Skytusk exited the mammoth house and was in the streets, heading eastward.  
  
Exiting Thermala was not a problem, it was the terrain outside the city that was a problem. Fortunately, Skytusk had good footing on the ice and snow as they made their way in a northeast direction towards Sky City. She was making a good pace, although a couple obstacles slowed them down a little bit, they were halfway to Sky City. Just then, a roar pierced the air, echoing back and scared Croco half to death. Terrified, he asked what that was.  
  
"Sabertooths," was the response Alynna gave him. A couple paces later and Skytusk stopped dead in her tracks as a Smilodon leaped out into the path. Katya perked up, as she knew this particular animal really well. It was a large male, and he snarled at the mammoth, dagger-like fangs bared. Two more cats appeared as Katya slid off Skytusk's back. Croco couldn't believe his eyes as the smilodon stopped and sat down while she approached him. Then Katya beckoned him to come down and approach the cat. Hesitant at first, Croco disembarked and walked up to Katya and the smilodon.  
  
"Croco, this is Icepick." she said as Icepick lifted a front paw out in front of him. Instinctively, Croco extended his arm out to greet him as Katya continued her story.  
  
"Icepick saved me from an avalanche when I was a little girl, and his pack led me back to Thermala after I got lost. I have lived there since birth, but love to visit Sky City as we are doing now." Icepick approached Croco, who jumped back at first, and rumbled something to him. 'I wish Cassie was here right now,' was his first thought but then he looked into the cat's blue eyes as Katya translated for him.  
  
"He says that a friend of mine will be a friend of his forever." she said. "Breathe deep, seek peace Icepick...we have to go." Icepick nuzzled her and took off, returning to the icy wilderness to which he and his pack call home. Then with a little help from Alynna, they were back on board Skytusk and on their way.  
  
They were slowed greatly by the steep climb and boulders, now larger and more numerous than there were on the path to Thermala. Patience wearing thin, Croco started to move about in his seat when Skytusk trumpeted ecstatically. Katya called out in excitement while Alynna breathed a sigh of relief. They could see a settlement in the distance, and Croco could only assume that this was Sky City. It had taken them a half a day to get to where they were and they were less than a mile away when they were greeted by two men, a Moropus and a Chalicothere. The chalicothere rumbled what could only be interpreted as a greeting, then one of the men walked up to Katya to translate for her.  
  
"He says that we've been expecting your arrival Katya and Skytusk," said the translator, "and to your friends from Canyon City, welcome to Sky City, the highest settlement in all of Dinotopia." Short of breath because of the altitude, Croco slid down the mammoth's back and landed face-first in the snow to the delight of a giggling Katya.  
  
"How high are we?" he asked. The second man calmly walked over to Croco, as had Alynna. The Master Rider helped Croco pick himself off the powder-covered ground while the other guide stood in front of him, helping to brush the snow off.  
  
"You must be the Dolphinback known as Croco, correct?" he asked. Before Croco could do anything, he had a firm grip on his hand and they shook. "Very honored to be your guide. My name is Espen and over there is my brother Kjell...we are of Norwegian descent, so we're quite at home in the cold mountains. Ah, the altitude you say? We're close to 400 necks above sea level right here." Kjell was attending to his Moropus named Broadfoot, while Espen led the group composed of himself, Croco, Alynna, Katya and Skytusk into the city. The chalicothere, which he had named Thor, was not too far behind. Soon, they had arrived at a chalet-like building in the center of town. Kjell explained to Croco that it was the inn that their family runs and they get a lot of business from people in Canyon City journeying to the Tentpole like himself and Alynna.  
  
The brothers led them each to their rooms separately, the first being Alynna. Croco sat in the lobby and was talking to a Tibetan who had just finished a stay at the Tentpole. He asked him what it was like, but refused when he found out that he was a dolphinback going for the very first time. Croco let out a disappointed grunt as Espen came out to lead him to his room. It was two doors down from Alynna's but the room itself was very similar to the Rainbow Ridge Inn back in Canyon City. He smiled and approved of his surroundings while Espen stood by the door.  
  
"If there's anything you need, let one of us know. You can ask either me, my brother, Andre or Essa." he told him. "Breathe deep Croco..."  
  
"...Seek peace Espen," and the door was shut behind Croco as he threw his backpack off in relief and fell face-down on the bed. Dusk was just beginning when he fell asleep for the night, tired but ready for the next day's adventures. 


	40. Chapter 39 The Climb

Chapter 39  
  
  
Croco slept peacefully like he had never slept in his four years in Dinotopia. Everyone was up before him, so Espen and Katya saw it as the perfect opportunity to play a prank on him. Katya went out and gathered snow while Espen went back to his bedroom in the adjacent house and picked up four heavy stones. The bucket with the snow in it stayed outside until the plan would go into effect. Espen quietly snuck into Croco's room and pinned the four corners of his blanket to the bed. However, they didn't expect Croco to shuffle after the final stone was in place. Suspicion aroused, he threw the stones off the bed and sat up, wondering what everyone was up to.  
  
Quickly throwing on some clothes, Croco proceeded downstairs to a small dining hall where Alynna was eating a vegetable stew with warm bread. Offering him some, Croco sat down next to his companion in a still groggy state.  
  
"What's everyone up to?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. The pair became a trio as Kjell sat between them.  
  
"Knowing Espen, he's probably up to no good with that girl from Thermala." said Kjell, who was the older of the two brothers at forty-two summers. Espen, who was five years his junior, came into view briefly as he headed back to Croco's room not knowing it would be empty. Shortly after, he came storming into the hall, face red in anger.  
  
"I thought you were still asleep!" he said aloud, looking at Croco. Croco, who was fully alert now, gave Espen a cross look.  
  
"I knew you were up to no good," said Croco. "What were you gonna do to me?" Espen shrugged, but didn't comment. He insisted that Croco and Alynna hurry up with their meal so they could get out onto the mountain before the storms came. Alynna said that they were finished and ready to go at anytime, so Espen went to fetch Katya. When they came back, Espen gathered everyone in a circle with himself in the middle. The way he addressed them to converge told Croco that he had an important announcement to make.  
  
"Alynna and Croco," he said, "when I heard of your arrival and your intentions, I wanted to find a way to help you on your quest. So I asked the City Elders if I could accompany you on your climb to the Tentpole of the Sky as a guide. After they considered my record of service and my past endeavors, they agreed on it and I shall join you when we leave this afternoon. I've already told my mother to take care of Thor so I can concentrate on the task ahead. So come to the Square...all of Sky City is awaiting us!" The six of them made their way to the City Square, where the locals celebrated their upcoming journey and adorned the would-be mountaineers with colorful ribbons and jewelry made from the tusks of deceased mammoths. They were told to keep the jewelry on as a symbol of goodwill during their climb, not to be shed until they were safely within the Tentpole walls. Finally, a parade was led through the city to the path which led to the great building, with children running alongside the three until they were free of the city. Kjell, Katya and Skytusk waved to them along with everyone else, wishing them the best on their journey.  
  
However, it was anything but easy for them as the strong, icy winds kicked up a lot of snow. Many times Croco thought he was going to die on the first full day they spent on the slopes, but on the wisdom of Alynna and the strength and guidance of Espen, they made it to an ice cave to spend the night. It was a hollow sculpted from the glacial ice but it was enough to shelter them from the wind so they could sleep. During the night, all Croco could thing about were the friends he had made: Brock, Mira, Kaala, Riojay and Nobby in Neopylos...Kado, Robert, Timbo, and especially Cassie and her family back in Waterfall City...Nalina, Darren, Carlos, Melanie and everyone back in Treetown...and finally Oolu, Ezrah and most importantly to him, Speedwing in Canyon City. The thoughts of them filled his head and his dreams while he slept huddled next to Alynna, as she was in between him and Espen.  
  
The sun was out in the morning and the winds had died down quite a bit, so Espen thought they would make better progress. But they stayed at the same pace due to the deeper snow and slightly increasing gradient of the mountain and after ten miles, they reached a campsite at the base of the mountain the Tentpole of the Sky was situated upon at dusk. Alynna explained to Croco that it was the base camp used for all expeditions to the Tentpole since it was built. So they set up camp for the final time at 487 necks above sea level and slept, thinking about their hopeful arrival. There was a campsite at 570 necks in case the weather turned on them or if something happened to someone.  
  
Just as the first light could be seen above them, Espen and Croco were up, packing up their tents and grabbing their backpacks. Espen turned to the dolphinback with a smile on his face.  
  
"Over the past three days, you've proven to be an apt mountaineer Croco," he said proudly. "If I were in charge of the Skybax Corps, you'd already have your apprenticeship sealed up." Naturally Croco was flattered but hesistated to ask Espen about his past. Seeing this, he took the initiative and told him that he wanted to be a Skybax Rider. But Espen was involved in a training accident which killed another cadet when their training gliders were caught by a sudden gust and crashed into each other. Feeling the guilt from the accident, he quit and returned to his home in Sky City to be a mountain guide with his father, Andre, his mother, Essa and his brothers Kjell and Lasse. But then, Alynna was beside them and looking up into the morning sky, they pushed on with the great Tentpole of the Sky within sight.  
  
They had made incredible progress...by midday they were more than halfway to the second campsite and arrived there a couple hours later. Espen looked at the sun and decided to call it a day as he didn't want to camp on the mountainside itself. It was a small, flat area that barely had enough room for the three of them but still they spent the night in their primitive tents. Espen and Croco chatted away while Alynna tried valiantly to get a fire going with some sticks she collected during the time when Cloudtop was being tended to. After several attempts, she finally got a small fire going to which she brewed a hot tea from special tea leaves she picked up in Canyon City and the large canteen she had. In high spirits and full of energy, they packed up to make the final push to the top of the mountain.  
  
But it took them longer than they had hoped. Espen and Alynna were fine, but Croco was having a little bit of difficulty dealing with the extreme altitudes they were at. On more than one occasion, they had to stop while he caught his breath, but nevertheless, he pushed on. The higher they climbed, the more the great building seemed to float up, which discouraged Croco even more as he knew they were so close to the top. They could feel themselves getting closer and closer, but everything was working against them. The daylight was being eaten up, the altitude meant they were taking in less oxygen and in the mid-afternoon, a strong icy breeze blew over the climbers. This was their biggest obstacle, as even Alynna wasn't expecting this and Espen was nearly blown over and down to his death.   
  
But with all hope lost and the last flicker of sunlight fading away, Croco came up to a stone wall while bells rang out. He let out a victory whoop while Alynna and Espen shook hands and embraced along with the Dolphinback. They had finally reached their destination: the great Tentpole of the Sky and at once there was a chorus of yelling for someone to take the mountaneers in. After several minutes, a ladder was lowered and Croco was the first one on, eagerly climbing up to start the latest chapter of his life in the land that time forgot. 


End file.
